ADVENTURES 


NURSE 


EDITED  BY 
J/1MES  PHINNEY  MUNROE 


LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 

Class 


Adventures 

of 

An   Army  Nurse 


/ 


Adventures 

of  an 

Army  Nurse  in  Two  Wars 

Edited  from  the  Diary  and  Correspondence 
rf 

Mary  Phinney 

Baroness  von  Olnhausen 

By 
James  Phinney  Munroe 

With  a  Portrait 


Boston 

Little,  Brown,  and  Company 
1904 


SG  nnoM 


Copyright,  1903, 
BY  LITTLE,  BROWN,  AND  COMPANY. 


All  rightt  reserved 
Published  October,  1903 


UNIVERSITY  PRESS    •    JOHN  WILSON 
AND   SON    •    CAMBRIDGE,  U.S.  A. 


ADVENTURES 

OF 

AN    ARMY    NURSE 

IN  TWO  WARS 

CHAPTER   I 

IN  the  south  part  of  the  historic  town  of  Lex 
ington,  Massachusetts,  lies  a  farm  of  many 
acres  gently  sloping  from  high,  wooded 
hills  on  the  east  towards  the  valley  of  Hobbs' 
Brook  —  now  converted  into  a  reservoir  for  Cam 
bridge —  on  the  west.  Divided  by  the  shaded 
country  road  which  leads  from  Lexington  village, 
past  the  birthplace  of  Theodore  Parker,  to  the  city 
of  Waltham,  this  farm  comprises  on  the  one  side 
orchards  and  cultivated  meadows,  on  the  other 
a  wide  expanse  of  grass-land  sweeping  in  soft 
curves  around  the  site  of  the  dwelling-house  and 
accented  at  the  roadway's  edge  by  magnificent 
rock  maples  brought  from  New  Hampshire  by 
"  Squire  "  Phinney  seventy  years  ago.  This  es 
tate,  the  beauty  of  which  is  unsurpassed  in  Lex 
ington,  was  almost  continuously,  from  1786  to 


219181 


2          Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

1849,  the  home  of  Elias  Phinney,  the  father  of 
Mary  (Phinney)  von  Olnhausen. 

The  first  New  England  Phinney,  John,  came 
to  Cape  Cod  about  nine  years  after  the  landing  of 
the  Pilgrims,  and  settled  in  what  is  now  the  town 
of  Scituate.  His  son  John  married  Mary  Rogers, 
granddaughter  to  that  Thomas  Rogers  who  was 
a  passenger  on  the  first  "  Mayflower  "  voyage  and 
a  signer  of  the  "  Compact."  In  the  third  genera 
tion  from  them  was  a  Benjamin  Phinney  who, 
since  he  removed  to  Granville,  Nova  Scotia,  in 
1774,  and  did  not  return  until  1786,  it  is  fair  to 
presume  was  a  Tory.  This  suspicion  is  deepened 
by  the  fact  that  he  did  not  come  back  to  Falmouth, 
where  he  was  born,  but  to  Lexington,  at  that  time 
remote  enough  from  Cape  Cod  to  escape  any  pos 
sible  lingerings  of  local  animosity. 

This  Benjamin  Phinney  and  his  wife,  Susanna, 
had  nine  children.  Of  these  the  seventh,  and  the 
last  to  be  born  in  Nova  Scotia,  was  Elias,  who,  at 
the  age  of  six,  came  with  his  father  and  mother  to 
the  farm  in  Lexington.  Educated  in  the  district 
school  and  by  the  harder  tuition  of  a  large  farm; 
practised,  too,  in  cabinet  making,  which  was  his 
father's  trade,  Elias  fitted  himself  for  Harvard 
College,  paid  his  own  way  there,  and  was  grad 
uated  in  the  Class  of  1801.  Electing  thereafter 
to  follow  the  law,  he  studied  with  an  eminent 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse          3 

lawyer  in  Maine  and  practised  his  profession  in 
Thomaston  for  about  ten  years. 

Eight  years  after  his  graduation  from  Harvard, 
Elias  Phinney  married  Catherine  Bartlett,  daugh 
ter  of  Dr.  Josiah  Bartlett,  of  Charlestown,  Massa 
chusetts.  This  Dr.  Bartlett,  born  in  1759,  had 
attended  Harvard  College.  His  studies  inter 
rupted  by  the  opening  Revolution,  he  had  taken 
up  surgery  in  the  office  of  Dr.  Isaac  Foster,  and, 
as  surgeon's  mate,  had  tended  the  wounded  of 
Bunker  Hill  and  of  later  battles  of  the  War  for 
Independence.  Not  only  in  surgery,  but  in  his 
tory  and  archaeology,  Dr.  Bartlett  made  for 
himself  an  honored  name;  and,  as  a  Mason,  he 
repeatedly  filled  the  office  of  Grand  Warden  of  the 
Grand  Lodge  of  Massachusetts.  A  funeral  ora 
tion  upon  George  Washington,  an  address  of 
welcome  to  President  Monroe  when  that  official 
visited  Charlestown,  and  a  history  of  Charlestown 
are  among  the  literary  productions  of  a  man  who 
was  a  leading  citizen  of  his  day  and  town.  Dr. 
Bartlett  married  Elizabeth  Call,  of  Charlestown, 
and  by  her  had  sixteen  children,  of  whom  the 
second,  Catherine,  became  the  wife  of  Elias 
Phinney. 

Two  or  three  years  after  their  marriage,  the 
Phinneys  removed  from  Thomaston  to  Charles- 
town,  and  he  continued  there  the  practice  of  the 


4          Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

law,  holding  many  estates  in  trust,  and  taking  a 
prominent  part  in  the  affairs  of  the  town  until, 
in  1823,  his  father  being  then  over  seventy  years 
of  age  and  unable  to  carry  on  the  work  of  the 
farm  alone,  Elias,  who  had  always  hungered  for 
agriculture,  was  easily  persuaded  to  return  to 
Lexington.  After  removing  to  that  town  he  con 
tinued  to  go  daily  to  his  office  in  Charlestown, 
there  to  carry  on  an  ever-increasing  practice  of 
the  law,  until  in  1831  he  was  appointed  Clerk  of 
the  Judicial  Court  for  the  County  of  Middlesex. 
He  entered  upon  his  duties  June  19,  1831,  and 
from  that  time  until  his  death  faithfully  attended 
the  sittings  during  the  sessions  of  the  court  and 
went  daily  to  the  Court  House  in  East  Cambridge 
in  vacations.  Only  on  Thursdays  of  those  vaca 
tions  was  he  free  to  stay  at  home ;  and  it  is  extra 
ordinary  that  with  such  limited  opportunity  for 
supervision,  with  regular  duties  which  often  took 
him  from  Lexington  before  daylight  and  kept  him 
away  until  after  dark,  he  could  have  accomplished 
so  much  in  agriculture. 

For,  in  a  day  when  scientific  methods  were 
almost  unknown,  scientific  agriculture  became  in 
creasingly  Mr.  Phinney's  avocation.  He  was  for 
many  years  a  trustee  of  the  State  Agricultural 
Society;  he  was  active  in  the  importation  and 
breeding  of  Ayrshire  cattle;  new  fruits  and  vege- 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse          5 

tables,  including  the  tomato,  were  the  subject  of 
his  ceaseless  experimentation;  while  the  genuine 
study  of  fertilizers,  of  soils,  of  rotation  of  crops,  of 
breeding,  of  grafting,  gave  him  a  wide  reputation 
among  those  to  whom  farming  meant  something 
more  than  a  routine  of  ploughing,  sowing,  and 
reaping.  This  widely  known  experimentation,  his 
seven  charming  daughters  (Harvard  College  was 
but  five  miles  away),  and  his  abundant  hospitality 
made  his  house  a  centre  for  learned  and  brilliant 
men,  both  old  and  young.  "  No  man  in  Massa 
chusetts,"  it  is  declared  in  a  sketch  of  him,  "  had 
so  large  a  circle  of  friends ;  "  and  this  statement, 
in  various  phrasing,  is  the  keynote  of  every  no 
tice  which  his  death  called  forth.  Chief-Justice 
Shaw,  Josiah  Quincy,  Dr.  Warren,  Daniel  Web 
ster,  Rufus  Choate,  the  Lawrences,  were  but  a 
few  of  the  host  of  those  who  sought  and  always 
found  a  welcome  at  his  house. 

His  vocation,  the  law,  and  his  avocation,  farm 
ing,  still  left  him  time  to  take  active  part  in  the 
affairs  of  Lexington.  His  name  was  for  many 
years  prominent  in  the  annals  of  the  town;  it  was 
he  who  welcomed  Lafayette  when  that  remarkable 
man  came  to  Lexington ;  it  was  he  who  presided 
when,  in  April,  1835,  the  bodies  of  those  who  had 
been  killed  at  the  Battle  of  Lexington  were  re 
moved  from  the  old  cemetery  to  their  present  rest- 


6         Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

ing-place  and  Edward  Everett  made  his  famous 
oration;  it  was  he  who,  as  chairman  of  a  com 
mittee  appointed  by  the  town,  took  the  affidavits 
of  the  survivors  of  the  battle,  and  with  those  as  a 
basis  wrote  an  authentic  and  graphic  history  of 
that  memorable  day. 

Of  a  commanding  though  always  courteous 
bearing,  a  man  of  the  world  and  yet  intensely 
devoted  to  the  interests  of  his  adopted  town,  the 
enlightened  possessor  and  developer  of  many  fruit 
ful  acres,  the  dispenser  of  a  hospitality  as  simple 
as  it  was  unbounded,  Elias  Phinney  early  secured 
and  always  retained  the  rather  unusual  title  of 
"  Squire."  To  an  extraordinary  degree  he  ful 
filled  the  English  idea  of  that  title,  glorifying  it, 
moreover,  with  the  higher  ideals  of  his  American 
environment. 

In  the  summer  of  1847  there  fell  upon  him  a 
blow  of  peculiar  sadness.  The  house  in  which, 
with  the  exception  of  a  few  years,  he  had  lived 
for  six  decades  was  destroyed  by  fire,  together 
with  the  greater  portion  of  its  contents  and  many 
of  the  fine  shade-trees  which  he  had  taken  so  much 
pleasure  in  planting.  Within  a  few  days,  how 
ever,  over  three  thousand  dollars  to  build  another 
house  had  been  subscribed  and  sent  to  him,  with 
warmest  expressions  of  sympathy  and  regard. 
Chief  among  these  liberal  givers  were  the  Law- 


Adventures  of  cm  Army  Nurse         7 

rences,  Peter  C.  Brooks,  David  Sears,  John  C. 
Gray,  Dr.  Warren,  John  Welles,  Henry  Codman, 
Francis  C.  Lowell,  William  P.  Mason,  Josiah 
Quincy,  and  James  Vila. 

He  did  not,  however,  long  survive.  Hardly 
had  the  family  moved  into  their  new  home, 
scarcely  had  he  begun  to  try  to  repair  the  rav 
ages  of  the  flames  on  his  beloved  shade-trees, 
when,  on  the  24th  of  July,  1849,  Mr.  Phinney 
died  in  the  sixty-ninth  year  of  his  age.  His 
widow  survived  him  fourteen  years. 

Elias  and  Catherine  Phinney  had  ten  children, 
—  seven  daughters  and  three  sons.  The  fifth 
child  and  the  fourth  daughter  was  Mary,  born 
on  the  third  day  of  February,  1818.  Receiving 
her  earlier  schooling  at  the  Franklin  —  familiarly 
known  as  the  "Kite  End" — district  school,  Mary 
later  attended  the  Lexington  Academy,  and  finally 
was  a  pupil  at  Smith's  Academy  in  Waltham. 
Both  these  schools  had  local  reputation;  and  the 
building  occupied  by  the  Lexington  Academy  was 
later  made  famous  by  the  fact  that  there,  in  1839, 
was  established,  under  the  mastership  of  Cyrus 
Peirce,  the  first  Normal  School  in  the  United 
States. 

Living  an  active  life  on  a  busy  and  extensive 
farm,  performing  necessarily  a  large  share  of  the 
labor  of  the  house  and  the  garden,  the  daughters 


8         Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

of  the  Phinney  household  were  not  infected  by 
the  fashion  of  that  time  requiring  young  women 
to  be  languishing,  pearly-hued,  timid,  accom 
plished  only  in  "  ladylike "  but  wholly  useless 
arts.  Rather  they  seem  to  have  anticipated  the 
young  women  of  the  present  day;  for  they  were 
active,  unaffected,  healthy,  vigorous,  able  to  turn 
their  hands  to  any  sort  of  useful  labor.  Mary, 
however,  was  more  "  emancipated "  even  than 
the  others.  Some  years  before  the  day  of  Mrs. 
Bloomer,  she  fashioned  for  herself  out  of  calico 
a  "  bloomer "  costume  which  she  wore  when  at 
work  in  the  garden.  At  a  time  when  to  be  igno 
rant  of  nature  was  thought  a  sign  of  good  breed 
ing,  she  knew  every  flower  and  insect  of  the  wood 
and  field;  in  a  generation  whose  women  shud 
dered  at  a  grasshopper,  she  used  to  tame  spiders 
and  to  give  pocket-refuge  to  toads  and  snakes;  in 
an  age  whose  pale  heroines  were  occupied  mainly 
in  graceful  swooning,  she  acted  the  nurse  and  sur 
geon  for  every  wound  in  a  populous  and  venture 
some  neighborhood.  Farm  work,  too,  had  the 
highest  interest  for  her ;  and  with  perhaps  a  little, 
characteristic  exaggeration  she  used  to  recall  the 
many  moonlight  evenings  on  which  she  helped  her 
father  —  that  being  his  only  leisure  time  —  graft 
apple-trees  until  ten  o'clock  at  night.  An  accom 
plished  needlewoman,  as  were  all  the  sisters,  Mary 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse         9 

had  also  a  marked  talent  for  drawing,  the  exer 
cise  of  which  was  to  prove  the  real  vocation  of 
her  life. 

The  death  of  Mr.  Phinney  in  1849  compelled 
the  sale  of  his  farm,  and  threw  those  of  his  daugh 
ters  who  were  yet  unmarried  upon  their  own  re 
sources.  Mary,  taking  advantage  of  her  unusual 
facility  in  drawing,  sought  employment  as  a  de 
signer  of  print  goods,  then  an  absolutely  new 
career  for  women.  The  mills  of  those  days  were, 
however,  quite  different  from  the  factories  of  to 
day.  Even  the  unskilled  mill  girl  then  was  not 
in  the  least  akin  to  those  bold  and  unkempt  women, 
mainly  foreigners,  who  now  are  seen  streaming 
from  the  establishments  of  our  great  factory  towns. 
What  those  mill  girls  were  may  be  understood  by 
a  few  extracts  from  Lucy  Larcom's  "A  New  Eng 
land  Girlhood."  She  says:  — 

"  What  were  we  ?  Girls  who  were  working  in  a 
factory  for  the  time,  to  be  sure ;  but  none  of  us  had 
the  least  idea  of  continuing  at  that  kind  of  work 
permanently.  Our  composite  photograph,  had  it 
been  taken,  would  have  been  the  representative  New 
England  girlhood  of  those  days.  We  had  all  been 
fairly  educated  at  public  or  private  schools,  and  many 
of  us  were  resolutely  bent  upon  obtaining  a  better 
education.  Very  few  among  us  were  without  some 
distinct  plan  for  bettering  the  condition  of  themselves 
and  those  they  loved.  For  the  first  time,  our  young 


io       Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

women  had  come  forth  from  their  home  retirement 
in  a  throng,  each  with  her  own  individual  purpose. 
For  twenty  years  or  so,  Lowell  might  have  been  looked 
upon  as  a  rather  select  industrial  school  for  young 
people.  The  girls  there  were  just  such  girls  as  are 
knocking  at  the  doors  of  young  women's  colleges 
to-day.  They  had  come  to  work  with  their  hands, 
but  they  could  not  hinder  the  working  of  their  minds 
also.  Their  mental  activity  was  overflowing  at  every 
possible  outlet.  .  .  . 

"  I  regard  it  as  one  of  the  privileges  of  my  youth 
that  I  was  permitted  to  grow  up  among  those  active, 
interesting  girls,  whose  lives  were  not  mere  echoes 
of  other  lives,  but  had  principle  and  purpose  distinctly 
their  own.  Their  vigor  of  character  was  a  natural 
development.  The  New  Hampshire  girls  who  came 
to  Lowell  were  descendants  of  the  sturdy  backwoods 
men  who  settled  that  State  scarcely  a  hundred  years 
before.  Their  grandmothers  had  suffered  the  hard 
ships  of  frontier  life,  had  known  the  horrors  of  savage 
warfare  when  the  beautiful  valleys  of  the  Connecticut 
and  the  Merrimack  were  threaded  with  Indian  trails 
from  Canada  to  the  white  settlements.  Those  young 
women  did  justice  to  their  inheritance.  They  were 
earnest  and  capable;  ready  to  undertake  anything 
that  was  worth  doing." 

Employed  first  at  Dover,  New  Hampshire,  in 
the  Cocheco  Mills,  Mary  Phinney  afterwards  went 
to  the  Manchester  Print  Works,  at  Manchester, 
New  Hampshire.  In  both  cities  she  made  many 
delightful  friendships  that  were  destined  to  con- 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse        1 1 

tinue  all  her  life.  Especially  in  Manchester  did 
she  find  agreeable  associates  among  the  cultivated 
Germans  who,  driven  from  their  own  country  by 
the  pressure  following  the  political  revolutions 
there,  had  sought  refuge  in  free  America,  and 
were  putting  that  extraordinary  technical  knowl 
edge  in  which  they  have  so  long  led  the  world  to 
practical  use  in  the  rapidly  developing  manufac 
tures  of  New  England.  Conspicuous  in  this 
congenial  German-American  colony  was  Gustav, 
Baron  von  Olnshausen,  or,  as  he  preferred  to  call 
himself,  Gustav  A.  Olnhausen. 

The  von  Olnhausen  family  is  of  that  old  "  Frei- 
herr "  stock,  to  belong  to  which  places  one,  in 
German  eyes,  above  foreign  princes  and  but  little 
below  their  own  kings.  Its  unquestioned  history 
runs  back  for  many  centuries;  and  its  old  castle 
of  Schoenfels,  perched  high  upon  the  hills  over 
looking  Zwickau,  Saxony  (about  sixty  miles  from 
Dresden),  is  surrounded  by  a  moat  and  is  —  or  at 
least  was  —  furnished  with  all  the  appurtenances 
of  a  mediaeval  stronghold.  Gustav,  born  about 
1810,  was  the  last  male,  in  the  direct  line,  of  this 
old  family.  Receiving  his  education  at  that  period, 
culminating  in  the  revolutions  of  1848,  when  all 
Germany  was  in  political  ferment,  he  imbibed,  and 
doubtless  advocated,  democratic  ideas  that  made 
it  wise,  if  not  indeed  necessary,  for  him  to  live 


i  2       Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

away  from  his  native  Saxony.  His  history  before 
coming  to  America  is  not  definitely  known;1  but  it 
is  certain  that  he  resided  for  some  years  in  Russia, 
acquiring  fluent  knowledge  of  the  language  of 
that  country,  and  that  he  travelled  extensively  in 
other  lands.  In  Germany  or  elsewhere  he  gained 
what  for  those  days  was  an  unusual  proficiency 
in  the  science  and  art  of  chemistry.  Theodore 
Parker,  who  knew  him  well,  declared  him  to  be 
one  of  the  most  learned  men  that  he  had  ever  met. 
Entirely  out  of  sympathy  with  the  feudal  in 
stitutions  and  atmosphere  of  his  native  country, 
the  income  of  his  estate  so  reduced  by  changed 
commercial  conditions  as  to  have  necessitated  the 
sale  of  the  old  home  at  Zwickau,  his  sisters 2  and 
half-sisters  married,  Gustav  von  Olnhausen  came 
finally  to  America,  was  doubtless  attracted  by  the 
other  Germans  living  there  to  Manchester,  New 
Hampshire,  and  found  employment,  as  chemist,  in 
the  dye-houses  of  the  Manchester  Mills.  In  that 
city  he  met  Mary  Phinney,  loved  her,  and  soon 
found  that  she  too  loved  him.  Most  worthy,  too, 
of  her  affection  he  must  have  been.  Learned  in 
language,  in  literature,  in  science,  he  was  never- 

1  See  Appendix  A. 

2  One  of  these  sisters  married  a  von  Roemer,  and  another  a  von 
Rohrscheidt.     As  will  appear  later,  their  brother's  widow  visited 
these  ladies  (themselves  then  widowed)  after  the  Franco-Prussian 
War,  spending  with  them  and  with  others  of  her  husband's  relatives 
two  of  the  most  delightful  years  of  her  life. 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse        1 3 

theless  as  unassuming  as  a  little  child;  brought 
up  in  the  formal  etiquette  of  a  German  provincial 
town,  he  was  as  simple  and  unconventional  as  was 
Miss  Phinney,  herself  a  rebel  against  the  restric 
tions  placed  about  the  women  of  her  day ;  a  mem 
ber  of  an  aristocracy  that  still  believes  in  the 
divine  right  of  kings  and  nobles,  he  was  a  demo 
crat  of  the  sturdiest,  most  thoroughgoing  sort. 
All  these  qualities  appealed  to  her  as  did  her  free, 
vigorous  womanhood  to  him;  and  their  engage 
ment  seems  to  have  been  a  foregone  conclusion 
long  before  it  became  an  actual  fact. 

The  economic  value  of  technically  trained  men 
was,  however,  then  so  little  recognized,  the  panic 
of  1857  had  so  hampered  business  and  manufac 
turing,  that  Mr.  von  Olnhausen's  salary  seems  to 
have  been  very  small.  Not  until  more  than  a  year 
after  their  engagement,  therefore,  did  he  find  him 
self  financially  able  to  marry;  and,  after  mar 
riage,  their  housekeeping  was  of  a  most  modest 
sort.  A  little  house  filled  with  flowers,  ferneries, 
aquaria  (for  they  were  alike  in  their  love  of  na 
ture),  and  peopled  with  birds,  lizards,  and  even 
tamed  toads,  was  the  centre  of  their  happiness; 
their  chief  pleasure,  beyond  that  of  their  perfectly 
sympathetic  life  together,  being  found  in  their 
work,  in  holiday  walks  through  the  woods,  and 
in  picnics  and  little  impromptu  parties  with  their 


1 4       Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

many  friends.  That  simple  way  of  enjoying  life 
which  the  Germans  have  learned  and  which  we 
Americans  have  not,  was  as  congenial  to  Mary 
von  Olnhausen  as  it  was  to  her  husband;  and 
her  brief  years  of  marriage  were  undoubtedly  the 
happiest  of  all  her  life.  The  only  interruption  of 
their  gentle  tranquillity  was  in  her  occasional  visits 
to  Lexington  and  to  Watertown,  where  she  had 
relatives  and  friends. 

A  glimpse  of  this  happy  time  is  given  in  the 
following  letters  of  Mr.  von  Olnhausen' s,  the  first 
two  written  before  their  marriage,  the  third  after 
that  fortunate  event. 

Wednesday  evening. 

MY  OWN  DEAR  MOLLY,  —  Instead  of  the  intended 
company,  I  am  writing  you,  and  I  really  enjoy  it 
much  better.  K.  is  sick  since  a  few  days  and  so  I 
better  postponed  the  assembly,  but  anyhow  I  shall 
have  it  sometimes  this  week  for  celebrating  the  merry 
Christmas.  I  liked  this  feast  so  much  as  child  and  old 
remembrances  let  me  like  it  now  yet.  I  should  like 
we  could  it  pass  sometimes  in  Germany  —  they  think 
so  much  about  it  there  —  it 's  principally  a  merry 
time  for  the  children,  but  old  people  enjoy  it  just  as 
much.  We  shall  pass  much  happier  the  next  than 
this  one  —  my  dear  girl  —  at  least  I,  and  any  where 
we  shall  be.  I  shall  quite  arrange  it  in  german 
fashion.  I  remember  home  so  often  this  evening,  for 
it 's  the  time  when  every  one  is  quite  busy  in  the  prep 
arations — and  quite  happy  already  in  its  expectations 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse        i  5 

—  a  quite  pleasant  evening.     The  Ladies  whirling 
round  yet  in  the  full  pride  of  domestic  activeness  and 
making  use  of  all  sciences  for  producing  delicacise 
and  dainties,  such  as  never  are  seen  in  the  whole 
other  part  of  the  year;    red  the  lively  faces  from 
excitement  and  kitchen-heat,  they  distribute  a  few 
small   specimens   of   their   artfulness,    just   to   hear 
praised  themselves  and  to  be  fervently  asked  for  a 
few  more :  —  the  Gentlemen  in  the  mean  time  are 
preparing  the  Christmastree,  gilding  nuts  and  apples, 
fixing  the  wax-candles  and  fastening  threads  round 
all  the  stars  and  candies  and  sugar-figures,  destined 
for  swinging  between  the  branches  of  the  enchanted 
tree.    The  children  are  already  sent  to  bed,  full  of  the 
expectation  of  the  coming  day  —  all  have  been  during 
the  last  weeks  the  best  children  of  the  world,  afraid 
to  loose  by  disobedience  love  and  presents  of  the  little 
Christ  and  just  as  anxious  about  it  as  I  am  about  your 
love. 

What  a  nice  present  I  shall  give  you  next  year  my 
sweet  child,  when  you  have  been  good,  and  have  I 
been  so,  I  am  sure,  you  will  recompense  me  and  be 
it  only  by  a  kiss.  Are  we  not  both  like  children  yet 

—  why  should  we  not  remain  so  our  whole  life? 
Children  only,  it  is  said,  go  to  heaven  —  but  also  here 
on  earth  —  we  shall  not  be  childish  but  the  more 
childrenlike  the  happier  we  are. 

PISCATOQUAW  VALLEY. 

MY  DEAR  MOLLY,  —  May  it  be  made  known  to 
my  Queen,  that  I  just  am  feeling  myself  in  a  state  of 
mind  and  body,  as  no  other  King  of  earth  can  feel 
better  —  provided  he  is  a  bachelor.  My  throne  I  rest 


1 6       Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

upon  is  glittering  from  mica  and  garnets,  green  moss 
is  spread  round  and  like  a  beautiful  carpet  widely  but 
tastefully  embroidered  with  mayflowers,  cheering  at 
once  the  eyes  and  the  (how  prosaicly  nose  sounds) 
odoriferous  sense.  It  is  true  the  banquet,  just  fin 
ished,  consisted  only  in  sausage  and  crackers,  but  the 
appetite  makes  the  meal  and  not  the  dishes.  Just 
beside  me  a  small  brook  offers  me  its  cool  and  clear 
water  for  refreshment,  and  is  murmuring  to  me  so 
many  confuse  and  strange  stories  like  from  the  fairy 
land.  The  song  of  hundreds  of  frogs  will  not  har 
monize  well  with  the  dreams  of  the  brook,  but  they 
are  in  a  proper  distance,  —  distance  improves  every 
thing —  and  you  are  in  my  mind  so  near  associated 
with  them,  so  that  I  don't  hear  exactly  your  voice, 
your  dear  voice,  amongst  them  —  no  —  but  that  I 
really  imagine  I  hear  them  call  your  name. 

I  wonder  if  you  knew  that  we  have  Fastday  today 
and  came  to  take  the  walk  with  me.  I  cannot  thank 
heaven  enough  for  sending  us  such  a  beautiful  day  — 
for  it  should  be  really  hard  to  spend  such  an  excited 
day  in  town.  My  principal  aim  today  is  less  natural 
history  than  walking,  for  I  feel  how  much  I  need  it 
after  that  frightful  weather.  But  anyhow  besides 
some  bugs  and  beetles  I  got  a  green  snake,  I  am  very 
glad  of  for  trying  my  Alcohol  substitute  in  respect  of 
the  change  of  the  color,  and  —  an  old,  of  course  — 
but  entirely  new  birdsnest  entirely  made  from  lichens, 
I  never  have  seen  before.  Now  I  am  sitting  between 
Manchester  and  Goffstown,  where  I  came  partly  on 
the  railroad,  partly  along  the  right  bank  of  the 
Squaw  R.  —  and  can  probably  not  be  far  from  Goffs 
town.  I  cannot  find  any  bridge  over  that  little  river 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse       1 7 

—  to  go  the  same  road  back  is  too  tiresome  and  prob 
ably  not  much  shorter  —  en  avant  —  courage  then 

—  soon  more  from  my  headquarters.     (  Friday  morn 
ing.)     The  poor  king  of  the  day  in  what  a  helpless 
condition  he  came  home  in  the  evening!     What  a 
humiliating  lesson  for  his  pride!     But  why?    Kings 
can  be  tired  like  other  people  and  sooner  yet.    With 
out  a  strengthening  glass  of  cyder  in  the  Amoskeag 
Hotel  I  don't  know  if  I  ever  should  have  reached 
home.    And  then  at  home  how  delicious  the  tea,  how 
savory  the  boiled  potatoes,  and  for  dessert  an  orange 

—  and  the  King  was  King  again ! 

Sunday  evening. 

MY  DEAR  WIFE,  —  The  day  passed  better  than  I 
expected ;  —  when  you  stay  much  longer,  I  shall  quite 
fall  back  in  my  old  bachelor's  habits  and  faults.  I 
staid  at  home  till  3  p.  M.  in  the  highest  enjoyment  an 
Italian  thinks  life  can  offer,  in  a  dolce  far  niente,  just 
to  do  what  you  like  and  should  it  be  nothing.  There 
was  quite  a  summer  heat  a  la  Molly,  —  and  I  found 
only  a  little  consolation  in  the  thought,  that  I  am  sure, 
you  are  at  least  comfortable,  one  of  the  "  perhaps 
few  "  mortal  souls  who  could  be  so  in  that  foretaste 
of  hell  or  purgatory  where  the  Catholics  think  we 
must  all  come  to.  At  3  Mr.  M.  came  to  fetch  me  for 
a  walk  and  we  fetched  O.  and  out  we  went  and  had 
a  hard  work  through  fields  and  woods.  We  had  a 
really  first  rate  supper  at  O.'s  —  Dandelion's  Salad 
and  ham  and  potatoes  and  tea  and  sour  cyder.  Be 
glad  that  you  are  not  here  today  (Monday)  for  of 
course,  I  am  cross  like  a  crow.  It 's  only  5  A.  M.  and 
I  am  already  writing  you,  but  of  course,  having  ne 
glected  my  duty,  not  to  have  written  you  yesterday, 


1 8       Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

how  could  I  have  slept  longer !    I  wonder  that  I  could 
sleep  at  all  and  more  so  that  I  slept  as  sound  as  I  did. 

I  was  really  unhappy  Saturday  night  coming  2 
minutes  too  late  to  the  Postoffice,  but  I  got  your 
letter  just  now.  I  am  mad  —  like  —  like  —  I  don't 
know  anything  what  can  be  so  mad  —  so  there  is 
now  an  inkspot  on  the  clean  table  (it  is  yours),  but 
what  do  I  care.  I  am  mad  and  will  not  write  a  single 
letter  more  — "  instead  Wednesday  you  come  only 
Thursday/'  I  know,  I  shall  see  you  no  more  this 
week ;  your  next  letter  will  add  again  a  day  more  and 
so  on.  I  unfortunate,  stupid  and  most  enamoured  of 
all  husbands.  When  my  rage  has  subsided,  perhaps 
tomorrow  —  perhaps  today  already,  more!  I  will 
not  say  "  stay  as  long  as  you  will "  for  you  might 
really  be  capable  to  stay  till  to  the  world's  end.  When 
you  love  me  you  come  soon. 

Mad!  That  .  .  .  cyder  and  your  letter  —  you 
shall  not  have  an  aquarium,  you  don't  deserve  it,  you 
don't  love  me;  but  anyhow  I  will  be  true  and  will 
love  you  as  I  have  done  from  now  till  in  all  eternity, 
Amen.  You  see,  better  feelings  overcome  already  my 
madness;  but  I  will  not  be  good  today,  and  I  shall 
let  whither  all  the  fine  bouquets  I  have  decorated  the 
room  with,  and  shoot  the  blinds  and  let  not  light  and 
sun  in  and  go  to  bed  —  no  —  to  work.  Do  the  same 
and  be  a  good  girl  (perhaps  anyhow  I  build  you  an 
aquarium)  and  remember  and  love  your 

loving 

GUSTAV. 

They  were  married  on  May  Day,  1858,  by 
Theodore  Parker.  Within  little  more  than  two 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse        1 9 

years,  Mr.  von  Olnhausen  developed  a  serious 
organic  disease  from  which  relief  had  finally  to  be 
sought  through  a  surgical  operation.1  For  this 
he  went  to  the  Massachusetts  General  Hospital 
in  Boston.  The  operation  was  successful;  but, 
other  complications  arising,  it  was  impossible  for 
the  patient  to  rally;  and  he  died  after  several 
weeks  of  pain,  borne  with  much  fortitude,  on  the 
seventh  of  September,  1860. 

To  remain  single  until  one's  fortieth  year;  then 
to  love  and  to  be  loved  with  the  ardor  and  simpli 
city  of  youth ;  and,  in  the  third  year  of  marriage, 
to  lose  one's  husband  was,  of  course,  a  crucial 
experience.  It  might  have  made  a  less  active  and 
unselfish  nature  hard,  brooding,  hopeless,  and  em 
bittered.  With  Mary  von  Olnhausen  this  tremen 
dous  experience  proved  to  be  really  the  beginning 
of  her  life.  That  love  which  might  have  been 
given,  had  he  lived,  solely  to  her  husband,  was  to 
be  expended  during  the  coming  years  for  others ; 
that  activity  which  might  have  been  limited  to 
the  little  house  in  Manchester  was  to  find  con 
spicuous  satisfaction  on  both  sides  of  the  world. 

1  See  Appendix  B. 


W 


CHAPTER    II 

ITHIN  two  months  after  the  death  of 
Mr.  von  Olnhausen,  his  widow  had  de 
termined  to  begin  her  work  for  others  by 
going  to  the  help  of  her  younger  brother  and  his 
invalid  wife,  in  Illinois.  This  brother,  George, 
as  enamoured  as  was  his  father  of  agriculture, 
had  been  tempted  by  the  wonderful  fertility  of 
the  middle  West  to  leave  the  rocky  hillsides  of 
New  England  for  those  vast  prairies  whose  virgin 
soil  was  as  rich  as  it  was  easy  of  cultivation.  The 
life  of  the  pioneer,  however,  is  never  comfortable; 
limited  capital  and  remoteness  from  markets  made 
the  working  of  the  Illinois  farmland  unusually 
difficult  and  uncertain;  drought  and  destructive 
insects  often  played  havoc  with  the  crops;  and, 
worst  of  all,  the  hard  life  and  the  malarial  atmos 
phere  distressingly,  and  at  last  fatally,  affected  the 
wife's  health.  With  four  little  children,  and  with 
their  mother  almost  incapacitated  by  hardship  and 
by  ague,  the  brother  was  certainly  in  great  need  of 
such  help  as  his  sister  Mary  could  give;  and  she 
did  not  hesitate  to  take  what  was  then  a  serious 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse       2 1 

journey,  and  to  place  herself  in  conditions  which 
she  knew  to  be  both  difficult  and  disagreeable.  In 
the  following  extracts  from  that  autobiography, 
which,  at  the  earnest  wish  of  her  friends,  she 
began  several  years  before  her  death,  she  gives  a 
vivid  impression  of  her  arrival  on  the  prairie,  and 
of  some  of  the  incidents  of  her  life  there. 

[Frotn  the  Autobiography.] 

A  six  hours'  ride  over  the  prairie  with  just 
enough  snow  to  limit  the  landscape  and  not 
enough  to  hide  the  deep  black  mud  which  seemed 
to  swallow  the  struggling  oxen  and  horses,  made 
one  glad  that  the  next  station  was  the  end  of  this 
tiresome  journey.  I  did  not  know  what  desola 
tion  was  until  I  came  in  sight  of  that  station,  —  a 
barn-like  structure,  with  one  single  house  as  com 
panion,  planted  in  the  everlasting  mud.  I  could 
not  believe  it  was  the  right  place,  especially  as  no 
carriage  was  waiting  and  no  soul  was  visible  but 
the  station-master,  who  led  me  into  a  barren  room 
and  bade  me  sit  until  my  brother  should  appear. 
The  windows  were  curtained  with  dust,  the  fire 
nearly  out,  and  the  chair  hard  and  uncomfortable. 
After  a  dreary  wait,  a  wagon  came  in  sight,  —  a 
long,  low  wagon  without  springs  drawn  by  a  sorry 
pair  of  mules,  the  driver  sitting  in  a  rush-bottomed 
chair.  This  proved  to  be  my  brother  and  the  ex- 


22       Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

pected  "  carriage."  After  shaking  off  the  snow 
and  greeting  me  warmly,  he  put  the  trunks  on 
the  wagon,  sat  on  one  of  them,  and  gave  me  the 
chair.  Starting  off  at  the  slowest  imaginable  pace, 
I  soon  made  acquaintance  with  a  slough,  a  ditch 
of  mud,  that  might  some  time  have  been  a  bottom 
less  stream,  so  wide  and  deep  that  it  seemed  im 
possible  ever  to  reach  the  other  side.  Not  a  house 
was  in  sight,  —  and  indeed  one  could  not  see,  the 
snow  became  so  thick,  and  we  rode  and  rode  as 
if  it  would  never  end.  The  great  sorrow  I  had 
left  behind  came  back  with  twofold  force,  and  the 
desolation  of  that  dismal  prairie  hidden  by  falling 
snow  was  more  than  I  could  bear. 

At  last  we  came  to  a  little  house  standing  upon 
four  posts,  with  free  play  for  the  winds  beneath. 
At  its  open  door  were  clustered  three  or  four  chil 
dren  eagerly  looking  for  the  new  friend.  But  how 
to  get  to  those  expectant  faces,  with  just  a  very 
slanting  board  leading  up  to  them?  Outstretched 
hands,  however,  helped  me  up  the  slippery  plank, 
a  warm  welcome  and  a  cup  of  hot  tea  soon 
comforted  one,  and  the  children  were  pretty  and 
good ;  so  I  became  able  to  answer  eager  questions 
and  to  talk  of  the  delicious  things  in  store  for 
them  in  the  morning,  when  the  boxes  and  trunks 
should  be  opened.  I  had  so  much  to  relate  that  it 
was  late  when  we  went  to  bed,  which  involved 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse       23 

taking  a  now  sleeping  child  under  one's  arm, 
scrambling  up  a  ladder,  and  crawling  through  a 
hole  into  the  only  other  room  of  the  house.  In 
this  attic-room,  with  only  a  quilt  dividing  it,  all 
the  household,  except  the  hired  man,  slept. 

The  morning  waking  was  cold  and  forlorn 
enough;  the  house  being  neither  plastered  nor 
shingled,  every  breath  of  wind  swept  through 
it.  The  well  had  been  dry  for  weeks,  so  all  had 
to  be  set  at  work  to  melt  snow.  The  wife  was 
too  feeble,  from  a  long  "  spell "  of  chills,  to  do 
any  work,  so  it  all  fell  to  me,  and  it  seemed  like 
one  of  those  tasks  set  by  cruel  masters  in  fairy 
books.  A  grand  dinner  was  improvised  for  the 
day,  but  the  morrow  was  to  be  the  sacred  feast 
of  Thanksgiving.  I  had  timed  my  visit  for  this 
special  occasion.  As  soon  as  we  had  dined,  the 
boy,  six  years  old,  was  put  upon  one  of  the  mules, 
and  was  sent,  with  true  Western  hospitality,  to 
invite  the  only  neighbors  with  whom  they  "  vis 
ited  "  to  the  coming  feast,  and  we  all  began  the 
preparations.  The  pudding  and  pies  were  all  from 
home  and  had  only  to  be  heated;  but  that  turkey 
was  of  wonderful  size  and  needed  much  work  to 
make  it  ready  for  the  oven. 

The  next  morning  was  sunny  and  delightful. 
At  ten  o'clock  the  neighbor's  wagon  appeared,  — 
a  wagon  with  springs  and  drawn  by  quite  swift 


24       Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

horses.  It  was  considered  a  wonderful  turnout. 
This  neighbor's  family  consisted  of  father,  mother, 
two  boys,  and  the  wife's  brother;  they  were  people 
who  had  lived  in  a  town,  knew  what  good  things 
were,  and  proved  pleasant  and  intelligent.  The 
men,  in  Western  fashion,  sat  with  chairs  tipped 
back  against  the  wall,  the  children  rushed  up  and 
down  the  ladder,  making  all  the  noise  they  could, 
so  one  can  imagine  what  that  room  was  with 
seven  grown  people  and  six  children  and  the  mud 
and  steam  and  odors  from  the  stove.  But  to  see 
the  enjoyment  of  them  all  when  the  dinner  was 
served  was  a  real  pleasure.  This  was  an  unheard- 
of  day  on  the  prairie  and  was  long  talked  of. 

When  the  spring  began  to  come  all  was  changed ; 
the  wonderful  sounds  were  enchanting  and  so 
new  to  me.  The  wild  geese  and  ducks  passing 
overhead  from  morning  till  night,  the  crows  trum 
peting,  the  prairie  chickens  calling  their  mates,  and 
the  variety  of  beautiful  flowers,  —  all  made  the 
prairie  seem  like  paradise.  One  could  see  seven 
miles,  both  east  and  west,  to  where  the  "  timber  " 
grew,  and  only'  three  houses  in  all  that  wide 
extent. 

One  morning,  just  as  we  were  breakfasting  with 
some  friends  who  had  come  to  pass  the  night,  a 
man  rode  up  to  the  door  in  great  haste,  saying, 
"  Mr.  Phinney,  what  ails  your  corn-patch  ? " 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse       25 

"  Nothing,  only  that  I  have  the  best  stand  of  corn 
in  the  country."  "  Well,  go  look  at  it  now." 
My  brother  went  out  without  hat  or  breakfast,  for 
it  was  a  long  distance  to  the  corn-patch,  and  we 
went  up  to  the  chamber  window.  The  whole  land 
as  far  as  we  could  see  was  bare,  —  not  a  green 
thing.  Then,  of  course,  we  rushed  out,  and  such 
a  sight!  The  ground  was  covered  with  a  mov 
ing  mass  of  worms  several  inches  deep,  one  layer 
crawling  over  another.  George  said  it  was  the 
army  worm,  of  which  there  was  some  tradition, 
though  no  one  had  ever  seen  it  there.  George 
rushed,  got  the  mules  out,  and  ploughed  a  deep 
trench  at  the  edge  of  the  field,  for  they  were 
making  for  his  wheat  field.  Then  he  fastened 
a  log  to  a  horse  and  all  day  long  a  boy  rode  back 
and  forth  crushing  the  worms  as  they  fell  into  the 
ditch.  For  a  few  hours  in  the  night  they  stopped ; 
but  at  break  of  day  they  started  again  and  the 
log  was  once  more  put  in  motion.  By  this  means 
the  wheat  and  vegetables  were  saved.  I  shall 
never  forget  the  discouragement  on  George's  face 
as  he  saw  all  his  spring  work  destroyed  and  with 
it  his  hopes  of  paying  for  his  farm. 

My  cousin,  Dr.  B.,  who  was  staying  with  us, 
said  to  me,  "Will  you  help  me  plant  it  over?" 
Of  course  I  was  glad  to  do  anything;  so  though 
George  said  it  was  no  use,  fresh  corn  was  shelled 


26       Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

and  the  old  corn-planter  put  in  order.  This  was 
a  very  clumsy  affair,  one  of  the  earliest  made. 
It  had  a  button  on  the  wheels,  and  whenever  that 
turned  up  a  lever  was  pulled  out,  and  the  corn 
dropped.  One  can  think  how  monotonous  it  was 
to  sit  all  day  watching  the  wheels  and  jigging 
this  lever.  Up  high  at  the  back  sat  the  driver, 
who  was  not  very  expert,  howling  at  the  mules. 
They,  never  very  swift,  were  now  intolerably 
slow;  so  it  took  much  "  dog-gorning  "  and  much 
"  hickory  ing  "  to  make  them  get  up,  and  the  re 
sulting  noise  was  deafening.  The  sun  was  never 
so  hot  and  the  dust  never  so  unbearable.  These 
were  the  longest  days  I  ever  passed;  but  at  last 
it  was  finished  and  the  eighty  devoured  acres  were 
planted  again.  George  said  it  was  useless  work, 
—  everybody's  corn  was  a  foot  high  or  more,  no 
corn  could  ripen  after  the  tenth  of  June;  but  we 
had  hopes,  and,  sure  enough,  he  never  had  a  better 
or  a  bigger  crop.  One  day  we  took  a  drive  across 
the  railroad  and  there  AVC  saw  everywhere  the 
effects  of  the  army  worm.  Luckily  it  appears 
only  at  long  intervals. 

On  the  prairie  every  one  had  so  many  dogs  that 
it  was  a  marvel  how  they  were  fed,  or,  indeed, 
how  they  lived.  They  ate  even  the  corn  from  the 
cob,  and  stole  anything  that  was  not  under  lock. 
One  day  when  all  the  men  had  gone  to  a  neighbor- 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse       27 

ing  town  to  haul  corn,  we  heard  a  great  barking, 
and  the  boys  rushed  in  to  tell  us  that  the  dogs  were 
after  one  of  the  recently  bought  pigs,  the  first 
that  we  had  had.  When  we  arrived  on  the  scene 
they  had  tasted  blood  and  it  was  all  up  with  that 
pig.  His  ears  were  off,  and  he  was  bitten  in  many 
places.  I  rushed  for  the  butcher-knife,  for  we  all 
wanted  fresh  meat  even  more  than  the  dogs  did; 
and  if  the  pig  must  be  eaten,  C.  and  I  thought  it 
best  for  us  to  have  the  benefit.  So  we  set  the 
boys  to  beat  off  the  dogs,  and  the  eldest  helped 
to  hold  the  pig  while  we  stabbed  him,  vainly  try 
ing  to  hit  a  vital  spot.  At  last  the  animal  gave 
up,  and  C.,  in  the  mean  time,  having  heated  water, 
we  dragged  him  to  a  board  and  commenced  the 
dreadful  job  of  getting  off  the  hair.  Having  only 
seen  it  done,  we  made  not  the  neatest  work  of  it. 
All  the  while  the  fight  between  the  boys  and  the 
dogs,  occasionally  helped  with  a  dash  of  water, 
was  going  on.  The  combined  efforts  of  all  were 
needed  to  mount  that  slippery  plank  and  get  the 
pig  under  cover  from  the  dogs.  When  George 
returned,  his  indignation  at  seeing  one  of  his  pet 
pigs  lying  on  that  floor  was  strange  to  see;  but 
when  he  learned  the  truth  he  sat  down  beside  the 
departed  beast  and  laughed  till  we  thought  he 
would  never  end. 

One  night  the  doctor  was  called  to  a  neighbor's 


28       Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

where  the  woman  was  "  very  bad,"  the  girl  who 
brought  the  message  said.  In  the  morning  he 
asked  me  to  go  to  see  her;  so  I  mounted  behind 
him  on  the  mare,  and,  though  the  mud  was  so 
deep  that  I  thought  it  impossible  to  get  there,  we 
at  last  arrived.  The  cabin  contained  only  one 
room;  in  it  were  two  beds  and  two  trundle-beds; 
eight  children  were  sitting  around  a  stove  burn 
ing  the  hoof  off  of  some  pig's-feet,  and  the  room, 
of  course,  was  filled  with  their  vile  odor.  The 
mother  lay  on  the  bed,  clad  in  a  prairie  sunbonnet 
and  a  calico  wrapper;  beside  her  lay  a  little,  red 
baby  with  a  piece  of  fat  bacon  in  its  mouth.  This 
was  always  the  manner  of  treating  babies  there, 
she  told  me.  She  had  a  very  long  hickory  stick 
beside  her,  and  when  the  children  quarrelled  she 
brought  it  down  on  them  with,  "You  Mary  Ann," 
or,  "  You  Susan  Jane,"  reducing  them  to  order  at 
once.  I  asked  her  to  take  off  her  bonnet,  but  she 
said  that  if  she  did  it  would  give  her  rheumatism 
in  her  head.  She  never  took  it  off  except  when 
eating.  Whatever  else  a  prairie  woman  or  child 
lacks  in  costume  it  is  never  a  sunbonnet.  When 
I  came  to  know  this  woman  better  I  found  her 
to  be  one  of  the  finest  nature.  She  was  a  "  poor 
white  "  from  Virginia ;  but  she  was  so  true  in  all 
her  relations  in  life,  so  generous,  and  always  seek 
ing  to  do  a  kindness. 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse       29 

At  this  time  the  news  was  most  discouraging,  the 
papers  full  of  rumors  of  war,  and  so  many  people 
about  us  poor  whites  from  the  South,  nearly  all 
of  them  being  Rebels,  that  it  was  anything  but 
cheerful.  The  post-office  was  four  miles  away; 
and  often  many  days  went  by  without  letters  or 
papers;  and  now  and  then  such  appalling  news 
came  that  I  wonder  we  could  enjoy  anything. 
Soon  the  rumors  of  war  were  confirmed  with  the 
news  of  Fort  Sumter  and  the  terrible  affair  of 
Bull  Run.  I  immediately  wrote  to  all  the  people 
of  influence  I  knew,  begging  them  to  procure  me 
some  place  in  the  war  as  nurse,  or  whatever  I 
could  do.  Then  I  waited  and  waited  for  a  year 
before  I  could  learn  how  to  get  a  position;  for 
down  there  no  one  seemed  to  know  how  to  do 
anything.  Finally  I  determined  to  go  back  to 
Massachusetts  and  find  some  way  to  work  for  the 
soldiers.  That  year  of  waiting  is  as  a  blank  to 
me;  we  heard  nothing  but  discouraging  rumors, 
and  were  all  so  poor.  The  crops  were  good 
enough,  but  there  was  no  way  to  get  them  to 
market,  for  the  railroad  was  in  the  possession  of 
the  military.  We  had  two  years'  crop  on  hand, 
and  most  of  the  cattle  died;  so  we  burned  corn 
all  that  winter.  It  seemed  so  wicked.  When  I 
started  for  the  East  I  for  the  first  time  realized 
the  war  in  seeing  regiments  departing  from  every 


30       Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

city,  and  in  finding  it  almost  impossible  to  get 
anywhere. 

Arrived  in  Boston,  I  appealed  immediately  to 
Miss  Dix,  who  promised  to  place  me  at  once,  but 
who  delayed  so  long  that  I  was  beginning  to 
doubt  her,  when  the  summons  came  to  start  for 
Washington.  This  was  on  Saturday,  and  Monday 
night  I  must  leave;  so  everybody  helped,  and  I 
was  at  the  station  in  time  to  join  my  escort.  This 
was  in  August  of  1862. 


CHAPTER    III 

MARY  VON  OLNHAUSEN'S  recollec 
tions  of  the  Civil  War  are  contained  in 
the  Autobiography  before  referred  to 
and  in  letters  written  to  her  relatives  at  home. 
The  first  is  fragmentary,  far  from  consecutive, 
and,  as  would  be  inevitable,  frequently  in  disagree 
ment  with  the  letters.  Those,  on  the  other  hand, 
are  seldom  dated;  and  many  pages  from  them, 
as  well  as  many  entire  letters,  are  wanting.  There 
fore  the  narrative  is  not  always  unbroken,  and 
the  story  frequently  lacks  those  salient  features 
which  letters  written  with  an  eye  to  publication 
would  have  been  almost  certain  to  possess.  To 
see  the  Civil  War  from  the  comparatively  new 
point  of  view  of  these  unstudied  sketches  is,  how 
ever,  in  itself  interesting.  To  read  through  these 
artless  pictures  the  strong,  unselfish  character  of 
a  noble  woman  is  doubly  worth  while. 

A  few  pages  from  the  Autobiography  will  serve, 
by  their  conciseness,  as  a  sort  of  preface  to  the 
more  detailed  letters  which  are  then  to  follow. 


32       Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

[From  the  Autobiography.] 

Miss  Dix,  who  had  been  appointed  by  the 
President  head  of  the  army  nurses,  took  me  from 
Washington  to  Alexandria  to  the  Mansion  House 
Hospital.  She  told  me  on  the  journey  that  the 
surgeon  in  charge  was  determined  to  give  her  no 
foothold  in  any  hospital  where  he  reigned,  and 
that  I  was  to  take  no  notice  of  anything  that 
might  occur,  and  was  to  make  no  complaint  what 
ever  might  happen.  She  was  a  stern  woman  of 
few  words. 

There  seemed  to  be  much  confusion  about  the 
Mansion  House  —  which  before  the  war  was  a 
famous  hotel  —  and  every  part  of  it  was  crowded. 
She  left  me  in  the  office  and  went  in  search  of 
Dr.  S.  The  sight  of  the  wounded  continuously 
carried  through  on  stretchers,  or  led  in  as  they 
arrived  from  the  boats  that  lay  at  the  foot  of  the 
street  on  which  the  hospital  stood  (this  was  just 
after  that  awful  Cedar  Mountain  battle  [August 
9] ) ,  seemed  more  than  I  could  bear,  and  I  thought 
Miss  Dix  would  never  come.  At  last  she  appeared, 
with  Dr.  S.,  who  eyed  me  keenly  and,  it  seemed 
to  me,  very  savagely,  and  gave  me  in  charge  of 
an  orderly  to  show  me  to  the  surgical  ward,  as 
it  was  called.  It  consisted  of  many  small  rooms, 
with  a  broad  corridor,  every  room  so  full  of  cots 
that  it  was  only  barely  possible  to  pass  between 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse       3  3 

them.  Such  a  sorrowful  sight;  the  men  had  just 
been  taken  off  the  battle-field,  some  of  them  had 
been  lying  three  or  four  days  almost  without 
clothing,  their  wounds  never  dressed,  so  dirty  and 
wretched.  Some  one  gave  me  my  charges  as  to 
what  I  was  to  do;  it  seemed  such  a  hopeless  task 
to  do  anything  to  help  them  that  I  wanted  to 
throw  myself  down  and  give  it  up.  Miss  Dix  left 
me,  and  soon  the  doctors  came  and  ordered  me  to 
follow  them  while  they  examined  and  dressed  the 
wounds.  They  seemed  to  me  then,  and  after 
wards  I  found  they  were,  the  most  brutal  men  I 
ever  saw.  They  were  both  volunteers,  and  one 
was  a  converted  Jew  who  was  constantly  pro 
claiming  it. 

So  I  began  my  work,  I  might  say  night  and 
day.  The  surgeon  told  me  he  had  no  room  for 
me,  and  a  nurse  told  me  he  said  he  would  make 
the  house  so  hot  for  me  I  would  not  stay  long. 
When  I  told  Miss  Dix  I  could  not  remain  with 
out  a  room  to  sleep  in,  she,  knowing  the  plan  of 
driving  me  out,  said,  "  My  child  "  (I  was  as  nearly 
as  old  as  herself),  "you  will  stay  where  I  have 
placed  you."  In  the  mean  time  McClellan's  army 
was  being  landed  below  us  from  the  Peninsula. 
Night  and  day  the  rumbling  of  heavy  cannon, 
the  marching  of  soldiers,  the  groaning  of  the  sick 
and  wounded  were  constantly  heard;  and  yet  in 

3 


34       Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

all  that  time  I  never  once  looked  from  the  win 
dows,  I  was  so  busy  with  the  men. 

One  of  the  rooms  of  the  ward  was  the  operat 
ing-room,  and  the  passing  in  and  out  of  those 
who  were  to  be  operated  upon,  and  the  coming 
and  going  of  surgeons  added  so  much  to  the  gen 
eral  confusion.  I  doubt  if  at  any  time  during  the 
war  there  was  ever  such  confusion  as  at  this 
time.  The  insufficient  help,  the  unskilful  sur 
geons,  and  a  general  want  of  organization  were 
very  distressing;  but  I  was  too  busy  then  and 
too  tired  for  want  of  proper  sleep  to  half  realize 
it.  Though  I  slept  at  the  bedsides  of  the  men 
or  in  a  corner  of  the  rooms,  I  was  afraid  to  com 
plain  lest  I  be  discharged.  I  was -horribly  igno 
rant,  of  course,  and  could  only  try  to  make  the 
men  comfortable;  but  the  staff  doctors  were  very 
friendly  and  occasionally  helped  me,  and  some 
one  occasionally  showed  me  about  bandaging,  so 
by  degrees  I  began  to  do  better.  The  worst 
doctor  had  been  discharged,  much  to  my  joy,  but 
the  other  one,  despite  his  drinking  habits,  stayed 
on.  After  the  morning  visit  it  was  no  use  calling 
upon  him  for  anything,  and  I  had  to  rely  on  the 
officer  of  the  day  if  I  needed  help.  I  know  now 
that  many  a  life  could  have  been  saved  if  there 
had  been  a  competent  surgeon  in  the  ward. 

At  this  time  the  ward  was  full  of  very  sick 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse       35 

men  and  sometimes  two  would  be  dying -at  the 
same  time,  and  both  begging  me  to  stay  with 
them,  so  I  got  little  sleep  or  rest.  Moreover,  I 
had  no  room  of  my  own.  Occasionally  a  nurse 
would  extend  the  hospitality  of  the  floor  in  hers, 
and  I  would  have  a  straw  bed  dragged  in  on  which 
to  get  a  few  hours'  sleep.  This,  with  a  hurried 
bath  and  fresh  clothes,  was  my  only  rest  for 
weeks.  It  was  no  use  to  complain.  The  sur 
geon  simply  stormed  at  me  and  said  there  was 
no  room ;  while  Miss  Dix  would  say,  "  You  can 
bear  it  awhile,  my  child;  I  have  placed  you  here 
and  you  must  stay."  I  was  at  that  time  her  only 
nurse  in  the  Mansion  House.  Later  she  suc 
ceeded  in  getting  rid  of  all  the  others  and  replacing 
them  with  her  own. 

From  the  first  letter,  written  from  Washington, 
it  would  appear  that  Miss  Dix  had  intended  to 
take  this  new  nurse  to  Culpeper  (to  which  General 
Banks'  corps  fell  back  after  Cedar  Mountain). 
Some  change  of  plan,  however,  led  to  her  going, 
instead,  to  the  Mansion  House  Hospital  at  Alex 
andria.  There  she  remained  until  forced,  in  July, 
1863,  by  a  severe  attack  of  dysentery,  to  ask  for 
a  furlough  and  to  seek  recuperation  with  her  sis 
ters  in  Lexington. 


36       Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

WASHINGTON,  August,  1862. 

I  have  just  arrived  and  do  not  know  when  I 
can  write  again.  Miss  Dix  has  just  had  a  tele 
gram  that  four  hundred  men  lie  at  Culpeper  with 
wounds  undressed  and  everything  waiting.  She 
goes  herself  and  takes  me,  so  already  the  work 
has  begun.  Miss  Dix  is  n't  one  bit  of  a  dragon 
or  griffin  to  me.  She  received  me  sweetly  and 
right  off  asked  me  to  go  with  her.  Help  me 
with  your  prayers  and  good  wishes.  I  shall  try 
my  best  to  make  you  feel  I  'm  not  sent  in  vain. 

The  following  record  of  the  first  six  or  seven 
weeks  of  her  experience  gives  but  a  faint  idea  of 
what  Mary  von  Olnhausen  encountered  in  that 
eventful  time.  With  no  experience  of  serious 
wounds  and  with  no  knowledge  of  nursing  be 
yond  what  she  had  gained  in  her  ministrations 
to  those  among  her  family  and  friends  who  had 
been  ill,  she  was  plunged,  without  preface,  into 
a  crowded  hospital  during  one  of  the  bloodiest 
campaigns  of  the  Civil  War.  When  she  arrived 
at  the  Mansion  House,  she  had  to  make  her  way 
through  a  double  procession,  one  of  seriously 
wounded  men  being  taken  in,  the  other  of  dead 
being  carried  out.  With  no  easy  and  gradual 
preparation,  but  on  that  very  night,  she  was 
called  upon  to  assist  at  capital  operations  per- 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse       37 

formed  with  little  or  no  anaesthetic,  by  surgeons 
who,  naturally  brutal,  had  been  made  doubly  so 
by  the  hurry  of  overwork  and  the  magnitude  of 
their  seemingly  endless  task.  The  operating-room 
was  literally  a  sea  of  blood,  and  its  operators  had 
become  little  better  than  butchers. 

To  conditions  so  adverse  were  added  a  hostile 
atmosphere  and  a  disorganized  service,  or,  rather, 
a  service  that  had  never  yet  been  organized.  To 
those  who  know  or  remember  only  the  splendid 
results  of  the  war  and  the  nobility  of  self-sacrifice 
which  made  these  results  possible,  it  is  difficult  to 
believe  how  rankly  political  corruption,  favoritism, 
and  jobbery  flourished  in  the  Civil  War,  above  all 
in  the  years  of  its  beginning.  This  hospital  espe 
cially,  in  the  outskirts  of  Washington  where  had 
gathered  all  the  harpies  and  vultures  of  the  politi 
cal  camp,  was  at  that  time  filled  with  political 
henchmen  and  their  satellites,  more  eager  for  profit 
than  for  the  binding  up  of  wounds.  Superadded 
to  this  corruption  was  the  inevitable  disorder  and 
inefficiency  inseparable  from  the  organizing  of  a 
conflict  so  stupendous  by  a  country  unused  to  war. 
And  this  unorganized,  this  overworked,  this  more 
or  less  corrupt  hospital  staff  was  a  unit  in  only 
one  direction,  —  that  of  hatred  towards  women 
nurses  and  of  determination  to  "  make  it  so  hot " 
for  them  as  to  render  it  impossible  for  them  to 


38       Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

remain.  To  learn  the  profession  of  nursing,  to 
bring  order  out  of  chaos,  to  overcome  the  unrea 
sonable  prejudice  of  men  brutalized  by  the  horrors 
of  a  crude  and  hurried  surgery  was  the  task  that 
Mary  von  Olnhausen  had  before  her;  and  one 
can  easily  accept  her  apologies  for  writing  this 
"growling"  (as  she  calls  it)  letter. 

September  21,  1862,  Sunday  afternoon. 

At  last  I  have  a  few  moments  that  are  really 
my  own  and  a  room,  too,  to  sit  in  that  is  really 
mine,  and  I  'm  so  glad  to  be  alone  and  writing 
you.  I  have  been  so  happy  to  get  your  two  let 
ters  telling  me  about  you  all  and  especially  about 
that  box ;  —  you  can  have  no  possible  idea  of  the 
good  it  will  do.  I  know  what  all  the  Sanitary 
committees  in  the  North  have  done  and  how  much 
they  think  the  poor  soldiers  are  comforted ;  but  I 
can  assure  you  that  in  the  way  of  delicacies  they 
get  mighty  little,  —  none  in  fact,  —  and,  so  far, 
not  even  good,  nourishing  food.  As  I  told  the 
Inspector  General  a  few  days  since,  both  in  qual 
ity  and  quantity  it  is  intolerable.  While  they  are 
feeding  a  thousand  outsiders  (which  was  the  case 
during  the  passing  through  of  the  troops  and  the 
coming  of  the  wounded),  it  was  excusable;  but 
at  no  other  time.  The  day  before  he  came  bean 
soup  was  sent  up  so  salt  that  no  one  could  swal- 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse        39 

low  a  second  spoonful ;  the  beef  tea  was  in  the 
same  state;  and  the  beans  were  so  hard  that  all 
would  have  had  cholera  morbus  if  they  could  have 
eaten  them. 

Moreover,  the  cooks  are  so  overbearing  that  it 
is  like  begging  for  life  to  get  a  thing  for  the  really 
sick  ones  who  cannot  eat  common  diet.  Yet  the 
nurses  are  obliged  to  do  all  extra  cooking  and  are 
not  allowed  the  use  of  anything  but  tin  cups  or 
plates;  and  if  we  ask  for  spoon  or  knife  or  milk 
or  eggs,  you  better  hear  the  fuss !  The  kitchen  is 
a  perfect  Babel  at  meal-times,  and,  rather  than  en 
counter  the  noise,  every  day  I  buy  eggs  and  milk, 
in  fact  almost  every  nice  thing  for  the  sick  ones. 
I  know  I  have  a  right  to  them  here ;  but  I  've 
learned  enough  to  know  that  all  who  make  com 
plaints  to  headquarters  are  not  only  unpopular 
there  but  are  pitched  into  by  all  the  house;  so  I 
just  speak  to  nobody,  get  what  I  can,  and  buy  the 
rest.  Sometimes  I  can  make  eyes  at  the  ice-box 
man  and  he  '11  give  me  a  bit  of  chicken  and  mut 
ton  ;  but  he  is  n't  always  to  be  melted  any  more 
than  his  ice,  though  he  is  the  only  one  who  really 
seems  to  work  for  the  soldiers.  He  's  quite  a  char 
acter,  and  is  the  only  man  from  Dr.  S.  down  who 
does  n't  swear.  I  'm  so  disgusted  with  this  last 
that  I  think  nothing  is  to  be  so  longed  for  as  to 
be  delivered  from  swearing,  —  it 's  worse  than 

i 


40       Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

temptation.  Now  you  '11  thmk  I  am  writing  a 
real  growling  letter;  but  I  know  you  want  to 
know  all,  and  Mrs.  J.'s  remarks  that  we  live  so 
fine  are  utterly  groundless.  Her  husband  laughed 
well  at  them. 

Our  bill-of-fare  has  been  unvaried  from  the 
time  we  came  till  now  (I  mean  at  the  nurses' 
table)  ;  almost  always  sour  bread,  and  always  the 
worst  possible  butter,  and  coffee  that  can  be  imag 
ined  (I  am  speaking  of  breakfast),  with  sometimes 
a  bit  of  tough,  overdone  steak,  often  no  milk,  and 
sometimes  no  butter.  At  dinner  invariably  worse 
beef,  very  much  done,  sometimes  potatoes  and 
sometimes  not,  and  once  in  a  while  sweet  pota 
toes,  which,  you  know,  I  hate  (but  I  always  claim 
my  share,  as  I  can  take  it  to  some  poor  fellow  in 
my  ward),  together  with,  about  once  a  week,  a 
small  piece  of  pie.  Twice  we  have  had  a  change 
of  baked  salt  pork  instead  of  beef.  For  supper 
there  are  always  the  same  sour  bread  and  butter 
and  such  tea;  —  and  this  is  all.  To-day  I  went 
out  and  begged  a  little  mutton  soup.  The  cook 
gave  me  some,  growling,  and  said  it  was  only 
made  for  the  sick.  When  I  tasted  it  I  thought  it 
was  too  poor  for  the  well.  They  say  we  are  going 
to  have  a  grand  reform,  that  at  Washington  there 
is  to  be  a  bill-of-fare  issued  and  strictly  enforced. 

Then  what  we  eat  is  as  nothing  to  how  we  eat. 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse       41 

We  eat  with  all  the  cooks  and  kitchen  attendants, 
and  to  appreciate  them  you  must  once  see  and  hear 
them.  Sometimes  I  think  I  cannot  bear  it  another 
hour,  that  I'll  just  leave  here;  but  when  I  see 
these  miserable  nurses  and  more  miserable  attend 
ants  who  are  here  merely  for  the  poor  pay,  I  think 
it  cruel  to  go,  for,  if  anywhere,  I  can  do  some 
good  here;  these  poor  fellows  have  at  least  some 
one  to  help  them.  All  about  the  house  say  I  'm 
so  proud,  and  I  always  intend  to  be;  but  in  my 
ward  the  sick  men  do  not  think  so,  and  the  bless 
ings  and  thanks  I  get  from  them  are  all  I  care 
for.  They,  every  one,  seem  as  fond  of  me  as  if  I 
belonged  to  them,  and  I  wish  you  could  hear  them 
talk  as  I  sit  by  their  dying  beds. 

Every  man  except  one  has  died  so  happy ; 1  and 
he,  poor  fellow,  was  so  afraid  he  would  die  that 
at  last  he  frightened  himself  into  it.  He  was  a 
young  sergeant  from  Ohio,  only  nineteen,  and  it 

1  \From  the  Autobiography^ 

Some  one  once  wrote  to  me  to  tell  her  of  the  different  death-beds 
I  had  witnessed,  especially  of  the  death-bed  repentances.  I  can 
only  say  that,  with  the  exception  of  two,  none  of  all  my  men  was 
afraid  to  die.  I  don't  remember  one  who  ever  expressed  repent 
ance  ;  many  wished  to  live,  but  all  seemed  to  die  without  fear  of 
the  future.  The  saddest  thing  about  a  death  in  the  hospital  is  the 
immediate  removal  of  the  body.  The  attendants  come  with  the 
white  sheet  which  so  closely  enfolds  them,  they  are  silently  taken 
to  the  dead-house,  and  the  work  goes  on  as  if  they  had  never  been. 
Next  morning  the  empty  bed,  fresh  for  another  patient,  is  the  only 
reminder  of  the  past  night. 


42       Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

was  so  pitiful  to  see  him;  but,  mercifully,  he  was 
unconscious  for  some  hours  before  his  death.  His 
father  wrote  me  such  a  sorrowful  letter.  One 
man  sent  for  me  in  the  middle  of  the  night  to 
come  and  make  his  will.  He  took  the  ring  from 
his  finger  for  his  sister,  and  his  watch  and  money 
and  notes,  and  had  three  other  patients  witness 
it.  He  read  it  aloud  to  them  in  such  a  clear,  loud 
voice,  and  pretty  soon  he  died.  I  read  the  Bible 
to  him,  and  he  prayed  so  good;  he  said  he  was 
glad  to  die,  for  he  never  could  pray  before  and 
his  sister  wanted  him  so  much  to  be  a  Christian. 

The  poor  little  boy  that  I  told  you  had  lockjaw 
died  such  an  awful  death.  He  dictated  a  pretty 
boy  letter  to  his  mother,  —  it  would  have  gone 
right  to  your  heart.  He  said :  "  You  told  me, 
mother  dear,  I  'd  either  come  home  a  cripple  or 
dead ;  but,  mother,  I  could  n't  stay  home  and  see 
all  those  noble  boys  go  away  to  be  shot  and  me 
staying  home  and  not  helping  too;  but  I  killed 
the  Rebel  who  shot  me,  so  he  can't  kill  another 
boy.  He  came  around  the  tree  after  I  fell  and 
then  I  took  good  aim  and  killed  him."  He  was 
such  a  dear  little  country  boy,  so  good  and  natural ; 
he  said :  "  I  'd  like  to  live  real  well,  but  then  if 
I  can't,  I  '11  try  to  die  and  not  make  any  more  fuss 
than  I  can  help ;  "  but,  poor  fellow,  he  could  n't 
help  it.  He  was  n't  seventeen.  Colonel  Hildreth, 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse       43 

the  man  who  exposed  the  swill  milk,  brought  him 
from  the  field l  after  he  had  lain  there  four  or 
five  days.  He  took  an  ambulance  and  himself 
alone  drove  through  all  and  brought  back  a  load 
of  them. 

Did  not  our  government  do  shamefully  to  let 
so  many  lie  there  and  die?  I  am  so  indignant  I 
can't  hear  of  it.  It  was  shameful,  and  here  these 
surgeons  from  Boston  did  all  they  could  to  get 
leave  to  go  to  the  field,  and  were  denied.  It  was 
too  awful;  you  can't  realize  it  unless  you  were 
here  to  see  them,  as  I  have,  brought  in  after  such 
suffering.  One  old  Scotchman  in  my  ward  lay 
six  days  and  seven  nights,  and  had  only  water 
that  the  Rebels  would  now  and  then  give  him,  and 
nothing  to  eat  all  that  time.  Yesterday  symp 
toms  of  lockjaw  appeared,  and  he  will  soon  die 
of  it. 

But  now  comes  one  of  my  great  troubles;  — 
you  know  I  was  placed  in  a  ward  that  had  no 
female  nurse  for  a  long  time,  and  only  a  horrid, 
wicked  man  for  a  ward  master.  He  treated  the 
patients  too  cruelly;  first  thing  I  did  was  to  have 
him  sent  to  his  regiment,  —  it 's  so  painful  to 
know  there  are  such  bad  men  for  soldiers.  The 
ward  was  dirtier  than  you  can  know,  and  not  one 
decent  attendant,  though  the  largest  ward  in  the 

1  Probably  that  of  the  second  Bull  Run. 


44       Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

house.  I  've  told  you  how  I  worked ;  all  the  sick 
est  I  had  charge  of.  About  four  weeks  ago  came 
a  nurse  who  said  she  had  been  in  the  Crimea,  — 
at  any  rate  she  was  English  and  had  been  four 
teen  years  in  hospitals.  They  gave  her  a  back, 
upstairs  ward.  She,  of  course,  knows  about  ban 
daging  and  all  that;  but,  like  all  old  hospital 
nurses,  is  no  nurse  otherwise.  She  is  the  one  I 
had  to  room  with.  I  almost  preferred  no  bed,  as 
at  first;  but  I  would  not  say  one  word,  it  seems 
so  selfish  to  complain  here.  Last  week,  just  as  I 
was  congratulating  myself  how  well  all  went  and 
that  the  wards  were  so  clean  and  orderly,  up  came 
Dr.  S.  and  thundered  out :  "  Madam,  I  intend  to 
remove  you;  I  intend  Mrs.  R.  to  have  this  ward; 
this  is  the  most  important  one  in  the  house  and  I 
consider  her  the  most  splendid  nurse  in  the  coun 
try;  and,  by  ,  those  are  the  kind  of  women 

I  intend  to  fill  this  house  with." 

You  may  judge  how  bad  I  felt  to  leave  those 
men  I  had  had  right  from  the  field,  and  they  so 
fond  of  me  and  good;  they  felt  just  as  bad  as  I 
did.  It  was  sweet  to  hear  so  many  "  God  bless 
you's  "  and  assurances  that  I  had  saved  their  lives. 
I  really  believe  them,  for  the  doctor  of  the  ward 
was  the  most  negligent,  disagreeable,  swearing 
man  I  ever  met,  and  left  everything  to  me.  Just 
as  I  was  departing  we  heard  a  fearful  noise  in  the 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse       45 

entry,  and  along  was  dragged  my  lady,  by  two 
officers,  dead  drunk  and  swearing  like  a  trooper. 
So  that 's  the  way  she  took  possession  of  her  new 
ward!  I  think  my  exit  was  better  than  her  en 
trance.  This,  of  course,  made  the  poor  fellows 
feel  ten  times  worse;  and  whenever  I  slip  in  to 
see  them  now  there  are  many  tearful  eyes,  and 
they  beg  me  so  to  come  back.  You  see  I  did 
everything  for  them,  —  cooked  them  good  things, 
watched  with  them  nights  whenever  they  needed 
me,  and  never  left  my  ward  except  to  eat  or  sleep ; 
and  they  (a  sister  of  hers  has  come  to  help  her, 
and  they  are  both  of  a  piece)  are  never  there,  — 
just  go  over  the  wounds  once  or  twice  a  day  and 
do  nothing  more.  I  acknowledge  their  superior 
ity  in  bandaging;  but  even  there  I  am  getting 
even  with  them;  already  the  surgeon-general  has 
praised  mine.  My  new  place  can't  interest  me  like 
the  old  one.  I  try  to  do  for  all  alike,  but  my  heart 
is  there  most  of  the  time.  You  may  think  it 
strange  that  I  do  not  leave  such  a  house;  but  I 
talked  with  the  Chaplain,1  who  is  a  Massachusetts 

1  [From  the  Autobiography.'] 

I  must  speak  at  this  time  of  our  Chaplain  [Rev.  Henry  Hop 
kins,  now  President  of  Williams  College].  Without  him  I  think 
I  could  not  have  gone  through  the  trials  I  had  to  bear.  Without 
exception  he  was  the  truest  friend  and  Christian  and  the  bravest 
man  I  ever  knew.  Night  and  day  he  was  ready  and  willing  to 
attend  the  men,  listen  to  their  complaints,  write  their  letters,  and 
comfort  them  in  their  last  hours.  Many  a  sorrowing  one  at  home 


46       Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

man  and  such  a  Christian,  and  he  begs  me  to  stay 
here,  says  I  must  remember  I  came  for  the  sol 
diers,  not  myself,  and  here  I  can  do  more  good 
than  anywhere  else. 

In  the  next  letter  reference  is  made  to  Lexing 
ton  as  a  source  of  supply  for  the  Hospital.     This 

must  have  been  comforted  by  his  words  written  from  these  death 
beds.  He  had  a  terrible  experience  at  the  second  Bull  Run  battle 
field,  where  our  men  lay  for  many  days  without  food  or  water,  the 
ground  being  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  After  long  pleading,  the 
authorities  gave  him  a  pass  and  ambulance  to  go  through  the  lines, 
but  he  had  neither  escort  nor  surgeon.  He  started  at  nine  o'clock 
at  night  with,  I  think,  twenty  ambulances.  It  was  raining  hard,  the 
roads  over  which  the  army  had  so  recently  passed  were  in  a  fright 
ful  state,  and  he  had  to  go  on  horseback  the  distance  of  fifty  miles. 
It  was  almost  impossible  to  keep  the  train  together,  many  of  the 
drivers  were  drunk,  and  some  would  fall  asleep,  letting  their  horses 
stop  and  blocking  those  behind.  So  he  must  ride  backward  and 
forward  the  whole  night.  In  the  early  morning  he  arrived,  and 
what  a  sight  of  sorrow  met  him !  Of  course  all  the  rebels,  both 
wounded  and  dead,  had  been  removed ;  but  our  men  lay  as  they  had 
fallen,  days  before.  He  began  his  search,  and  this,  he  said,  was  the 
hardest  task  of  his  life,  to  decide  whom  to  leave  and  whom  to  bring 
away.  Of  course  he  could  bring  only  those  able  to  bear  such  a 
journey.  The  others  must  be  left.  Think  what  a  situation  for  them 
and  himself,  every  one  begging  so  to  be  taken !  The  men  worked 
well  in  loading  the  wagons,  for  they  were  anxious  to  get  home,  hav 
ing  had  nothing  to  eat,  since  everything  the  Chaplain  had  with  him 
was  distributed  among  those  he  must  leave  behind.  After  praying 
with  the  poor  fellows,  he  started  on  his  weary  journey  back.  All 
that  day  he  rode  backward  and  forward,  hearing  only  the  groans  of 
the  wounded  and  the  oaths  of  the  drivers,  and  did  not  arrive  at  the 
hospital  again  until  nine  o'clock  at  night.  I  shall  never  forget  his 
weary  face.  The  poor  fellows  he  brought  needed  every  comfort, 
and  nearly  all  the  night  was  passed  in  caring  for  them. 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse       47 

is  a  good  place,  therefore,  to  insert  those  extracts 
from  the  Autobiography  which  bear  upon  the 
work  of  the  devoted  women  of  that  town.1  Their 
ceaseless  labors  and  unstinted  generosity  enabled 
Mrs.  von  Olnhausen  to  do  much  for  her  soldiers 
that  otherwise  would  have  been  impossible;  and 
she  never  failed  to  give  those  ladies  full  credit  for 
their  share  in  her  work.  Indeed,  so  generous  was 
her  nature,  that  she  perhaps  assigned  to  them  a 
larger  measure  of  credit  than  they  would  have 
cared  to  claim.  She,  to  whom  most  of  the  prod 
uct  of  their  busy  hands  went,  says  of  them :  — 

[From  the  Autobiography^ 

I  had  constantly  been  receiving  comforts  of  all 
kinds  for  the  sick  and  wounded  in  my  care  from 
my  kind  friends  at  home.  These  I  had  always 
kept  in  my  own  room  (now  I  had  one),  giving 
them,  when  needed,  to  the  sick  in  other  wards  as 
well  as  to  those  in  my  own.  One  day  the  head 
surgeon  sent  for  me,  and  said  he  heard  I  was  in 
the  habit  of  receiving  such  things,  and  that  he 
had  determined  in  future  to  have  all  such  boxes 
sent  to  the  dispensary  and  distributed  from  there. 
Therefore  all  such  things  as  I  had  in  my  posses 
sion  must  be  sent  there  at  once.  I  told  him  all  I 

1  An  interesting  account  of  the  work  of  these  active  women  is 
given  by  Miss  Hudson  in  the  "Proceedings  of  the  Lexington 
Historical  Society,"  VoL  II.  p.  197. 


48       Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

had  came  from  my  personal  friends  in  Lexington, 
and  sooner  than  have  them  given  to  his  drunken 
dispensary  clerks  to  be  eaten  and  drank  and  used 
by  them,  I  would  throw  them  out  upon  the  pave 
ment.  He  said  the  complaint  was  constantly  made 
that  my  men  were  better  served  and  cared  for, 
and  petitions  were  constantly  made  to  be  admitted 
there  on  that  account.  I  assured  him  that  I  al 
ways  divided  with  all  who  really  needed  them. 
Then  he  told  me  there  was  an  order  addressed  to 
me  for  a  number  of  barrels  of  apples  lying  at  the 
wharf,  that  they  were  needed  for  the  hospital,  and 
that  I  must  give  an  order  for  them  to  be  sent  to 
him  at  once.  "  No,"  I  said,  "  those  are  for  my 
self,  and  I  shall  send  them  back  unless  I  can  do 
with  them  what  I  choose."  So  I  bade  him  adieu 
and  flew  back  to  my  room,  expecting  every  mo 
ment  some  new  development. 

Soon  came  another  summons  to  the  office.  He 
asked  if  I  had  changed  my  mind,  as  an  order  had 
come  that  the  apples  must  be  at  once  sent  for.  I 
told  him  "  No."  "  Well,  what  will  you  do  with 
them  ?  "  "  Have  them  sent  to  my  ward  and  from 
there  distributed,  unless  you  will  give  me  a  store 
room  where  they  can  be  safely  locked  and  the  key 
put  in  my  charge."  After  a  moment  he  asked,  if  he 
would  do  that,  would  I  be  willing  to  place  my 
own  stores  there  and  take  charge  and  distribute 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse       49 

them  as  they  were  needed.  I  answered,  "  No,  I 
was  there  to  dress  wounds  and  care  for  the  sol 
diers  personally,  and  I  was  too  busy  to  do  it  and 
take  charge  of  my  ward."  He.  became  angry  and 
asked  me  to  suggest  some  one  to  whom  I  would 
be  willing  to  give  the  room.  A  few  days  before 
Miss  Dix  had  brought  to  the  hospital  a  widow 
whom  I  could  trust,  so  I  suggested  her ;  and  after 
much  talk  the  thing  was  settled.  Meantime  he 
gave  me  a  room  for  the  apples;  so  by  night  they 
were  stored.  Then  I  sent  to  every  ward  a  barrel, 
one  to  the  cooks  and  one  to  the  doctor.  They 
were  a  splendid  lot,  and  so  welcome,  for  we  had 
had  only  very  little  fruit  and  every  one  craved 
it.  Very  soon  the  store-room  was  a  fixed  fact, 
and  I  had  the  comfort  of  knowing  that  the  whole 
house  enjoyed  what  was  meant  for  the  soldiers. 

Lexington  came  to  be  a  very  dear  place  to  all 
I  cared  for.  I  am  sure  many  who  read  these 
papers  will  remember  the  name  with  gratitude 
even  without  its  sacred  associations.  It  was  such 
a  delight  to  receive  a  box  from  Lexington,  and 
the  expectation  of  what  had  come  was  so  great 
that  I  usually  made  a  little  feast  for  the  men's 
tea.  I  always  identified  myself  with  Lexington, 
and  never  can  enough  thank  that  little  band  of 
good  women  who  gave  me  the  opportunity  to  do 
so  much  good.  Their  interest  never  flagged.  Till 

4 


50       Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

the  very  end  of  the  war  every  month  brought  com 
forts  from  them.  A  soldier  never  went  from  my 
ward,  either  to  his  regiment  or  to  his  home,  with 
out  some  proper  clothing  and  often  a  little  money 
to  help  him  on  the  journey.  For  this  I  take  no 
credit;  it  was  only  through  those  dear  friends  I 
was  able  to  do  it. 

Wednesday  [October,  1862], 

To-night,  for  supper,  I  have  made  some  butter 
cakes  for  my  men,  and  such  a  glorious  hash; 
and  won't  they  think  I  'm  the  best  woman  in  the 
house?  They  do,  anyway;  you  ought  to  hear 
them  brag!  I  know  old  Lexington  would  be  real 
glad.  I  made  gruel  in  my  little  saucepan  the 
first  thing  this  morning.  The  cook  flew  at  me 
as  I  was  going  out  of  the  kitchen :  "  Here,  you 
can't  take  that  upstairs;  it's  against  the  rules." 
I  wanted  to  say  "  darn  the  rules,"  but  I  only 
said,  "  It 's  mine,  I  thank  you,"  and  I  felt  big.  I 
am  always  running  against  some  of  their  rules; 
but  it 's  hard  keeping  the  run,  they  have  so  many. 
Now  I  don't  "  say  it  for  say,"  but  no  bandages 
are  like  yours.  I  can  do  an  arm  or  leg  forty 
times  as  well  with  them,  and  we  are  likely  to 
want  all  we  have  if  the  report  is  true  of  the  big 
battle.  I  dread  to  see  the  house  filled  again  with 
more  poor  sufferers.  You  would  be  amused  to 
hear  me  entertaining  them  in  the  evening.  I  go 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse       5 1 

the  whole  rounds,  taking  my  little  camp-stool,  or 
kneeling  beside  their  beds.  They  all  treat  me  with 
such  confidence.  I  know  all  their  histories  and 
sorrows;  they  talk  just  like  I  was  their  mother. 
How  I  do  wish  I  were  real  good  and  pious;  I 
could  do  so  much  then. 


The  remaining  extracts  from  her  letters  for  the 
year  1862  are  fully  characteristic  of  this  impul 
sive,  warm-hearted,  enthusiastic,  not  always  dis 
criminating  woman.  Her  denunciations  of  the 
Post  Camp  (of  which  the  "  fever  camps  "  of  the 
Spanish-American  War  seem  to  have  been  a  mild 
repetition),  her  personal  affection  for  all  her  pa 
tients,  her  unhesitating  hospitality,  the  results  of 
which  make  her  "  bawl/'  her  good-natured  ridi 
cule  of  her  guests  and  of  herself  picture  Mary 
von  Olnhausen  just  as  she  was  and  as  she  re 
mained  to  the  end  of  her  long  life.  She  wore 
her  heart  and  her  frank,  open  character  upon  her 
sleeve,  and  many  were  the  unworthy  daws  who 
profited  thereby. 

ALEXANDRIA,  November  9,  1862. 

Did  I  tell  you  that  Governor  Andrew  was  here 
one  day,  and  in  my  ward,  too?  I  was  so  sorry 
to  miss  him;  but,  as  usual,  when  anybody  comes 
I  'm  cooking.  He  talked  "  bunkum  "  to  the  Mas- 


52       Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

sachusetts  boys ;  they  all  felt  so  proud,  and  it  made 
the  other  boys  quite  jealous. 

I  wish  you  could  look  into  my  ward  to-night 
and  see  these  miserable  sick  men  who  have  come 
in  from  the  convalescent  camp  during  the  last 
week.  Such  wrecks  I  never  saw,  all  worn  out 
with  fever  and  diarrhoea  or  some  other  chronic 
complaint;  it's  worse  than  wounded  men.  This 
horrid  camp  is  about  a  mile  from  here  and  is 
such  a  place!  Several  thousand  have  been  there, 
just  lying  on  the  ground  in  tents,  many  without 
blankets,  none  with  more  than  one,  the  worst  pos 
sible  food  to  eat,  and  growing  sicker  and  dying 
every  day.  Your  heart  would  ache  forever  after 
if  you  could  once  see  them.  All  discharged 
from  the  hospitals,  both  here  and  at  Washington, 
are  sent  out  there;  it's  called  the  Post  Camp. 
Men  just  getting  up  from  wounds,  fevers,  and 
other  sickness,  men  who  have  been  confined  for 
months  in  hospitals  without  any  exercise  or  ex 
posure,  when  pronounced  fit  to  join  their  regi 
ments,  are  sent  out  there  to  await  orders.  Some 
of  them  lie  for  weeks  there,  not  being  able  to 
learn  where  their  regiment  is  or  even  to  get  trans 
portation  to  it.  These  are  sure  to  get  sick  again, 
and  many  of  them  die.  The  camp  is  so  disor 
ganized  that  it 's  almost  impossible  to  find  a  man 
after  he  once  gets  into  it. 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse       5  3 

One  night  last  week,  about  nine  o'clock,  five  of 
these  men  were  sent  to  me,  and  I  had  but  three 
empty  beds.  Five  such  objects  I  never  saw,  — 
three  with  typhoid,  one  German  with  shaking 
palsy,  and  one  with  paralysis.  They  told  me  they 
had  been  pronounced  fit  for  duty  and  sent  out 
there,  where  they  had  been  for  three  weeks  or 
more,  every  day  growing  sicker.  The  night  before 
it  had  rained  steadily  and  they  just  lay  in  pools 
of  mud.  What  can  our  government  be  doing  to 
let  such  a  place  exist?  Two  of  them  have  already 
died  and  one  of  the  others,  I  fear,  will.  The 
Massachusetts  man  (from  Plymouth)  was  brought 
up  in  a  smaller  man's  arms,  like  a  baby;  so  you 
can  think  how  thin  he  was.  He  had  his  senses, 
and  talked  so  much  about  getting  home  and  his 
"  Carry,"  it  was  just  too  pitiful.  The  Chaplain 
wrote  to  her  for  him,  and  again  after  his  death. 

He  and  a  young  man  from  New  York  both  died 
last  Sunday  night;  the  other  one  never  had  his 
senses  after  he  came  in,  so  we  could  find  nothing 
out  about  him;  but  he  was  always  talking  of  his 
mother;  and  when  I  called  him  Charlie  he  said, 
'*  That 's  what  mother  called  me;  she  always  said 
Charlie."  He  seemed  to  want  me  with  him  all 
the  time,  would  look  around  for  me  and  get  right 
out  of  bed  to  follow  me  as  soon  as  I  left  him. 
They  lay  at  extreme  ends  of  the  ward,  so  I  just 


54       Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

ran  from  one  to  the  other  all  day.  One  died  at 
eight  and  the  other  at  nine  o'clock,  so  I  could  be 
with  both.  I  never  leave  a  man  to  sleep  or  to  eat 
when  I  think  he  will  soon  die ;  it  seems  at  least  as 
if  a  woman  ought  to  close  these  poor  fellows'  eyes ; 
no  mother  or  wife  or  sister  about  them.  I  feel 
that  I  must  be  all  to  them  then,  and  the  last  word? 
of  many  dying  men  have  been  thanks  for  what  I 
have  done.  It  is  so  splendid  to  be  able  to  do  any 
thing  for  them ;  I  do  not  lose  my  interest  or  enthu 
siasm  one  bit.  Everybody  said,  when  I  first  came, 
"  Oh,  you  '11  get  over  this  after  a  while  and  be 
hard  just  like  us,"  but  I  never  can.  If  possible, 
I  feel  more  than  then. 

Such  a  pleasant  thing  happened  to-day.  It  was 
snowing,  and  I  was  on  my  knees  trying  to  make 
my  fire  burn,  when  came  a  knock,  and  in  walked 
a  young  man.  I  thought  I  'd  seen  his  face,  but 
still  it  was  so  changed,  I  could  not  place  him;  he 
had  to  tell  me  who  he  was.  He  was  one  of  the 
Culpeper  boys  who  left  for  some  Northern  hos 
pital  the  first  of  September.  He  was  wounded 
through  the  body,  and  was  very  sick  while  under 
my  care.  He  had  just  got  back  to  the  Post  Camp 
to  join  his  regiment,  and  came  at  once  to  see  and 
thank  me.  The  tears  ran  down  his  cheeks  when 
he  told  me  how  he  missed  my  care  and  how  sick 
he  had  been  since  he  left  here.  His  wound  re- 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse       55 

opened  and  fever  ensued,  and  for  three  days  he 
did  nothing  but  call  for  Miss  Mary  (that 's  what 
they  call  me,  my  name  is  so  hard).  When  he 
came  to  his  senses  they  all  bothered  him  so;  but 
he  told  them  he  could  never  be  shamed  for  that; 
I  was  the  best  nurse  and  the  best  woman  he  knew, 
and  if  all  the  nurses  were  like  me  many  a  poor 
boy  would  get  well  who  had  died.  He  says  that 
all  the  other  boys  who  went  at  that  time  said  the 
same.  Of  course  I  felt  real  grateful,  but  I  think 
the  feeling  was  more  for  my  friends  and  Lexing 
ton  than  for  myself.  I  should  so  hate  to  disap 
point  them,  and  am  so  proud  when  I  make  them 
a  pleasure. 

One  morning  last  week  I  heard  that  the  First 
Massachusetts  and  all  that  division  were  moving; 
so  I  asked  Dr.  Stewart  for  an  ambulance  and  went 
out  to  the  camp,  hardly  hoping  that  I  should  see 
them,  as  all  said  I  would  be  too  late.  How  glad  I 
was  I  went!  It  was  the  finest  sight  I  ever  saw. 
Far  and  near  they  were  breaking  camp,  and  from 
a  high  hill  we  saw  the  whole  division  in  motion; 
it  was  grand.  We  had  a  chance  to  speak  to  every 
body  we  knew,  and  to  bid  them  good-bye.  They 
expected  a  fight  immediately,  but  as  yet  we  have 
not  heard  of  them.  It  made  me  sad  enough, 
though,  to  see  them  all  going.  I  thought  how 
many  of  them  would  never  come  back.  They 


56       Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

were  in  splendid  spirits  —  longed  for  a  fight  the 
best  kind.  That 's  the  only  time  I  've  been  out 
of  the  house  since  I  wrote  you  last. 

The  disastrous  battle  of  Fredericksburg,  with 
its  great  number  of  killed  and  wounded,  took 
place  on  December  13.  Worn  out  with  excitement 
and  fatigue,  and  justly  indignant  at  the  inadequacy 
of  the  preparations  for  caring  for  the  suffering 
men,  Mrs.  von  Olnhausen  wrote :  — 

Monday  night  [December  15,  1862]. 

To-day  has  been  such  an  awful  day,  bringing 
in  the  wounded  from  Frederick.  The  whole  street 
was  full  of  ambulances,  and  the  sick  lay  outside 
on  the  sidewalks  from  nine  in  the  morning  till 
five  in  the  evening.  Of  course,  places  were  found 
for  some;  but  already  the  house  was  full;  so  the 
most  had  to  be  packed  back  again  and  taken  off 
to  Fairfax  Seminary,  two  miles  out.  I  have  been 
so  indignant  all  day,  —  not  a  thing  done  for  them, 
not  a  wound  dressed.  To  be  sure,  they  got  dinner ; 
but  no  supper.  They  reached  town  last  evening, 
lay  in  the  cars  all  night  without  blankets  or  food, 
were  chucked  into  ambulances,  lay  about  here  all 
day,  and  to-night  were  put  back  into  ambulances 
and  carted  off  again.  I  think  every  man  who 
comes  a-soldiering  is  a  fool! 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse       57 

Sunday  night  [December,  1862]. 

This  has  been  as  blue  a  week  as  ever  I  passed. 
Tuesday  night  (I  mean  Tuesday  week)  two 
women  arrived,  one  to  see  her  sick  son  and  the 
other  her  husband;  one  came  from  western  Wis 
consin  and  the  other  from  northern  New  York. 
Dr.  S.  had  just  made  a  new  law  forbidding  visitors 
to  stay  in  the  house;  but  they  were  so  very  poor, 
and  had  come  so  far  and  felt  so  bad,  I  could  not 
bear  to  see  them.  So  I,  bold  as  a  sheep,  really 
decided  to  face  the  doctor  and  to  beg  him  to  let 
them  stay.  At  first  he  said  decidedly,  "  No ; " 
but  you  know  how  I  hang  on  and  grow  braver; 
so  finally  —  to  get  rid  of  me,  I  guess  —  he  said, 
"  Yes,  if  you  will  take  them  into  your  own  room." 
Oh,  dear!  now  I  had  just  got  so  nicely  settled 
and  so  snug ;  but  of  course  I  could  not  refuse,  and 
would  not,  under  the  circumstances.  One  of  them 
is  very  sweet,  but  the  other  is  a  real  prairie  woman, 
all  but  the  sunbonnet.  Thursday  night  came  a 
new  woman,  from  western  Massachusetts.  Dr.  S. 
sent  for  me  and  asked  if  I  had  any  objection 
to  receiving  this  Mrs.  M.  as  sharer  of  my  room, 
since  there  was  no  unoccupied  room  fit  for  her  at 
present.  He  seemed  to  forget  that  I  had  two  ladies 
already  hidden  there.  Of  course  I  had  to  take  her, 
although  I  did  hate  it  so  bad.  So  that  night  we 
had  four,  and  only  bedding  for  two,  and  the  room 


58       Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

not  large.  Next  morning  the  Wisconsin  man  died, 
and  his  wife  left  that  night;  but  before  she  left 
down  came  Miss  Dix  with  two  nurses,  one  to 
superintend  the  low  diet  and  one  as  nurse;  as 
Doctor  was  not  in,  and  she  must  return  to  Wash 
ington,  she  begged  me  to  take  charge  of  them  till 
his  return.  Now  here  were  six  of  us,  and  my 
gentleman  not  returned  when  night  came!  I 
managed  to  find  two  empty  beds  in  the  ward  to 
put  them  in,  but  all  day  Sunday  imagine  my  utter 
despair!  All  of  them  sitting  here  the  whole  day, 
and  Monday  and  Tuesday;  who  could  write?  I 
only  felt  like  bawling.  I  could  not  keep  the  room 
decent,  and  they  all  looked  so  forlorn  and,  mind 
you,  they  had  to  furnish  their  own  food  and  cook 
it  themselves,  so  my  stewer  was  always  going. 
I  could  not  wash  or  dress,  or  in  fact  do  anything; 
and  the  ward  is  kept  so  cold  I  could  not  sit  any 
where  with  comfort.  I  had  so  many  errands  to 
do  for  them  I  was  quite  worn  out. 

At  last,  Wednesday,  Dr.  S.  came;  one  nurse 
he  rejected,  the  other  he  retained ;  and  to  Mrs.  M. 
he  assigned  a  ward ;  but  we  were  still  four,  — 
all  widows,  all  old,  and  all  but  me  exceedingly 
pious,  and  ministers'  widows  at  that.  Sometimes 
we  would  have  jolly  laughs,  though,  for  all  the 
trouble;  and  Mrs.  B.,  the  one  who  will  take  charge 
of  the  cooking,  is  lovely,  just  such  a  woman  as  I 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse        59 

like.  Yesterday,  Mrs.  B.  got  her  room,  and  out 
of  pity  to  me  she  let  Mrs.  M.  sleep  in  it.  So  I 
expected  to  have  at  least  a  bed  again;  when,  just 
at  dark,  came  in  another  nurse  with  a  note  from 
Miss  Dix  to  please  give  her  Sunday  quarters.  So 
I  took  the  blanket  again  and  don't  mean  to  expect 
any  more  peace;  they  have  every  one  been  sitting 
here  all  day,  and  I  had  to  wait  for  them  to  go  to 
bed  to  get  a  chance  at  you. 

We  have  been  sending  off  this  week  every  one 
who  could  be  moved ;  and  you  may  believe  it 's 
been  a  pretty  blue  time  with  me,  I  have  had  so 
many  of  them  so  long  under  my  care.  All  have 
been  sent  to  New  York  on  the  Daniel  Webster; 
thanks  to  that  last  splendid  box,  I  have  been  able 
to  make  many  of  them  comfortable.  Not  one 
left  without  some  warm  garments.  I  expect  they 
will  suffer  much  as  it  is,  but  I  'm  glad  they  are 
getting  near  home.  Poor  fellows!  some  of  them 
are  so  lean  and  miserable. 


CHAPTER   IV 

ARRIVING  at  the  Mansion  House  Hos 
pital  in  August  of  1862,  Mrs.  von  Oln- 
hausen  seems  to  have  conquered  the 
prejudices  of  the  surgical  staff  by  the  beginning 
of  1863.  Therefore  that  year  was  to  prove  a 
happier  one.  The  long  strain  of  work,  however, 
together  with  the  evil  climate  of  Washington, 
brought  upon  her,  in  June,  1863,  a  serious  attack 
of  dysentery.  This  so  reduced  her  that  she  was 
obliged  to  ask  for  a  furlough  and  to  return,  with 
some  of  her  relatives  who  had  come  for  her,  to 
Lexington. 

Her  letters  during  this  first  half  of  1863  need 
little  comment.  They  chronicle,  in  her  amusing 
way,  the  conciliation  of  her  first  head-surgeon  and 
the  coming  of  a  successor;  her  temporarily  suc 
cessful  but  eventually  disastrous  warfare  with  a 
most  "  unjust  steward ;  "  and  the  varying  duties 
and  pleasures  of  her  busy  life. 

ALEXANDRIA,  Sunday  evening  [January,  1863]. 
I  suppose  you  just  think  I  never  am  going  to 
write  again;    but  I  can't  help  it,  I  live  in  such  a 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse       6 1 

state  of  confusion  all  the  time.  There  is  always 
somebody  new  quartered  upon  me.  I  have  had 
a  "  game "  leg  and  so  many  bad  sick  ones,  and 
now  I  have  lost  one  poor  boy.  His  death  was 
such  a  mystery  to  me,  for  when 1  he  did  not  die 
of  lockjaw,  which  I  expected  from  the  appearance 
of  the  wound,  I  could  not  believe  how  he  could 
die  so  soon.  He  died  Saturday ;  and  the  Tuesday 
after,  at  noon,  came  his  poor  father  and  mother. 
It  was  dreadful  to  have  to  tell  them  he  was 
dead  and  buried.  I  never  witnessed  more  intense 
grief;  for  he  was  their  only  boy,  and  they  were 
so  proud  of  him.  But  he  was  the  wickedest  boy 
I  have  ever  seen  die;  almost  his  last  breath  was 
an  oath ;  and  I  could  not  make  him  say  one  word 
for  his  father  or  mother.  I  tried  so  hard  to  make 
him  talk  of  them.  How  his  poor  mother  did  long 
to  have  one  word  from  him;  I  had  to  invent  a 
bit  just  to  make  her  a  little  comfort.  They  were 
such  nice,  respectable  people;  and  stayed  until 
Friday,  —  in  my  room  all  the  time.  You  may 
think  how  they  were  in  my  way,  though  I  could 
not  say  "  No  "  to  them. 

You  will  be  glad  to  know  the  change  in  Dr.  S.'s 

1  The  use  of  "  when  "  for  "  if,"  which  is  found  so  often  in  her 
letters,  was  caught  evidently  from  Mr.  von  Olnhausen,  who  could 
not  rid  himself  of  the  German  wenn.  Other  German  words  and 
idioms  crop  out  frequently  in  her  letters,  especially  in  those  written 
during  her  residence  in  Saxony. 


6  2       Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

treatment  of  me.  I  guess  he  finds  it  is  creditable 
to  him  to  have  some  ladies  around.  He  is  most 
polite  when  he  meets  me;  and  the  night  we  were 
expecting  the  wounded  he  came  to  my  door  and 
asked  me  to  go  through  my  ward  with  him.  It 
was  nine  o'clock,  but  the  rooms  did  look  nice, 
the  beds  all  so  clean,  and  clothes  for  each  man 
laid  out,  such  bright  fires  and  warm  and  cold 
water,  sponges  and  everything  else  ready.  He 
was  so  pleased,  and  said  he  had  found  no  other 
ward  in  such  order.  Then  he  turned  and  asked 
me  if  he  might  come  to  my  room  for  a  few  mo 
ments,  he  had  something  to  say  to  me.  When 
there  he  told  me  he  had  reason  to  believe  that 
I  thought  he  did  not  like  me,  and  he  himself  knew 
he  had  been  sometimes  rude  to  me,  for  which  he 
apologized.  "  But,  madam,  you  are  mistaken ;  I 
am  more  than  satisfied;  I  would  have  you  leave 
on  no  account ;  you  have  done  and  are  doing  more 
to  elevate  the  tone  of  this  hospital  than  any  one 
in  it,  and  anything  you  ask  for  your  ward  or  for 
yourself  I  will  grant;  only  always  come  to  me; 
don't  send  through  a  third  person."  Now  this 
was  real  nice,  was  n't  it  ?  Everybody  likes  to  be 
appreciated.  He  said,  too,  he  had  been  watching 
me  for  a  long  time  and  knew  all  I  'd  done,  — 
"  and  more  than  that,  every  doctor  and  every  man 
in  the  house  likes  you."  I  wish  you  could  hear 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse       6  3 

his  voice;  it  is  about  three  times  louder  than  a 
bull's.  He  said  he  knew  people  called  him  a  Rebel ; 
but  he  denied  the  charge  stoutly  and  spoke  right 
feelingly  of  his  honor  to  the  flag.  He  finally  de 
clared,  "  With  you  and  Mrs.  B.,  madam,  this 
house  shall  be  the  first  hospital  in  the  country ; " 
and  you  have  no  idea  what  a  change  there  is  here 
since  she  came.  She  is  matron,  has  the  sole  charge 
of  the  low  diet  —  which  is  the  most  important  in 
the  house  —  so  we  are  entirely  relieved  of  that 
horrid  cooking;  and  she  does  make  such  nice 
things,  all  sorts  of  delicious  delicacies,  that  one 
can  see  the  men  improve. 

She  is  a  most  interesting  woman  and  has  had 
such  a  sad  life.  Her  only  boy  was  killed  in  the 
army.  She  was  at  Antietam  when  her  son-in-law 
came  to  tell  her  that  her  boy  was  dead.  From 
that  moment  she  was  stark  mad;  they  took  her 
home  to  Chambersburg,  forty  miles ;  she  was  so 
bad  that  the  next  day  they  took  her,  by  all  the 
doctors'  advice,  to  the  asylum  at  Harrisburg,  her 
daughter  and  son-in-law  going  with  her.  While 
they  were  making  arrangements  for  her  entrance, 
she  was  temporarily  placed  in  the  room  where  all 
the  worst  insane  were,  and  there  she  came  to  her 
senses, — just  think  of  it,  her  full  and  entire  senses! 
She  turned  to  the  doctor  and  said,  "  Doctor,  they 
have  brought  me  to  a  mad-house;  what  is  this 


64       Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

for?  "  He  tried  to  soothe  her;  she  demanded  to 
see  her  daughter ;  but  they  supposed  it  was  another 
phase,  so  the  daughter  went  off  without  seeing 
her  at  all,  fearing  to  injure  her.  She  was  taken 
to  her  room,  and  there  were  two  women  always 
with  her  night  and  day,  everybody  supposing  her 
insane  and  paying  no  heed  to  her.  She  demanded 
to  go  home;  of  course  they  would  not  let  her, 
and  there  she  was  kept  ten  days  with  her  ter 
rible  grief  for  her  dear  boy  and  in  this  awful 
life.  Then  she  told  her  daughter,  in  a  letter,  that 
when  she  did  not  come  immediately  and  take  her 
home  she  would  disinherit  her  and  never  see  her 
again  while  she  lived.  Of  course,  the  poor  girl 
came  and  took  her  right  away,  though  the  doctor 
opposed  her ;  but  she  saw  at  once  that  her  mother 
was  entirely  sane.  Mrs.  B.  stayed  in  Chambers- 
burg  two  days  and  then  came  right  to  Miss  Dix, 
who  treated  her  so  tenderly  and  beautifully,  keep 
ing  her  busy  now  in  one  hospital,  now  in  another, 
till  she  was  over  the  worst  of  her  grief  and  her 
health  was  established.  Then  she  brought  her  here 
for  good.  * 

We  had  quite  an  entertainment  New  Year's 
night  (quite  stupid,  I  mean).  Of  course  all  the 
doctors  made  lengthy  speeches,  and  then  there  was 
tremendous  howling  of  patriotic  songs.  There 
were  lots  of  outside  ladies,  all  dressed  up  fine,  in 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse       65 

front;  and,  for  the  patients,  a  cake  big  as  a  cart 
wheel  and  heavy  as  lead,  which  was  capital.  G. 
will  remember  how  fond  I  am  of  cake  with  a 
"  stripe,"  though  I  don't  think  it  is  the  best  diet 
for  sick  people. 

ALEXANDRIA  [January  or  February,  1863]. 

I  'm  sure  you  will  be  surprised  at  my  long 
letter  to  the  Society  [Lexington  Soldiers'  Aid 
Society] ,  and,  after  all,  so  little  that  is  satisfactory 
said  in  it;  but  you  know  just  how  hard  it  is  for 
me  to  write  duty  letters.  Do  look  over  the  spelling, 
especially  Pyemia.  I  don't  know  if  it  should  have 
a  y  or  an  i  in  it.  I  only  spelled  it  as  it  sounds. 
You  see  one  word  was  wrong  in  the  very  first; 
there  may  be  a  dozen.  When  you  think  I  have 
said  too  much  you  might  condense  it;  I  could, 
now  it  is  done,  only  I  have  no  time  to  copy. 

Do  give  me  some  clue  to  the  P.  family.  I  have 
a  vision  of  old  P. ;  what  is  he?  I  can't  place  him, 
but  somehow  it  seems  like  he  was  connected  with 
L.  in  some  funny  way.  Did  she  ever  have  him 
for  a  pet  chore  man  (I  wrote  it  "  chaw  "  first)  ? 
Anyway  the  poor  boy  looks  bad  enough.  I  don't 
exactly  fancy  the  hospital  he  is  in;  but  his  bed 
looked  clean  and  I  guess  he  is  well  taken  care  of. 
I  promised  to  go  and  see  him  every  day,  so  I  shall. 
How  I  wish  he  could  have  been  with  me !  I  would 


66       Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

have  felt  so  proud  to  have  a  Lexington  soldier  in 
my  care. 

Do  you  know,  I  grow  just  as  mean  as  a  pig  with 
my  things !  I  won't  give  a  single  well  man  a  thing, 
only  those  who  are  going  off  to  camp.  It 's  come 
to  be  a  regular  thing  for  all  the  clerks  and  detailed 
men  about  the  house  to  ask  for  this  or  that;  but 
I  always  tell  them,  "  No,  they  are  sent  for  the  sick 
soldiers  and  not  for  well  men  shirking  duty  and 
lying  around  hospitals!  "  I  used  not  to  be  so  sav 
age,  but  I  have  got  perfectly  disgusted  with  these 
men.  They  are  just  too  lazy  to  do  duty,  and  so  get 
big  pay  and  "laze"  around.  There  are  so  many 
invalids  who  could  do  all  they  do,  and  they  might 
be  fighting.  When  you  could  once  see  the  abuse! 
Look  into  the  kitchen,  for  instance,  and  see  the 
great,  strong  men  who  are  cooking ;  then  you  'd 
be  mad,  too ! 

Isn't  it  too  bad  the  apples  have  not  come?  I 
feel  so  disappointed,  but  Dr.  S.  is  sharp  after  them. 
He,  by  the  way,  is  good  as  pie  to  me.  Speaking 
of  pies,  you  did  not  send  me  one ;  but  them  dough 
nuts  and  that  there  square  gingerbread  was  too 
dolicious.  I  feel  pretty  mean  about  giving  the 
last,  and  the  first  we  ate  in  our  own  room.  My 
brains  are  baked  in  my  head,  but  I  've  got  wound 
up  and  it 's  one  dem'd  grind  now.  The  fire  is  so 
hot,  and  if  I  move  my  chair  one  inch  the  leg  will 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse       67 

come  out.     It  Js  a  "  compound  comminuted  frac 
ture  "  and  takes  too  much  time  to  set  it  often. 


ALEXANDRIA,  February,  1863. 

I  must  tell  you  about  a  little  excursion  we  made 
on  the  I4th.  Dr.  S.  gave  us  leave  (Mrs.  B.  and 
me)  to  go  down  to  Mt.  Vernon  with  some  of  our 
men.  He  said  we  could  take  but  twelve,  —  as  the 
tug  could  get  only  within  a  mile  of  the  shore,  — 
and  that  we  must  row  in  a  small  boat.  First  we 
must  take  those  who  had  been  longest  wounded 
and  after  that  all  the  amputations.  He  gave  us 
a  little  tug  to  go  in,  the  best  and  fastest  on  the 
river,  and  I  wish  you  could  have  seen  us  set  off, 
seven  pairs  of  crutches.  It  would  have  done  your 
heart  good  to  see  how  happy  the  poor  fellows  were ; 
think !  for  six  months  some  of  them  had  been  shut 
up  and  had  hardly  stepped  on  the  ground.  They 
were  just  as  gay  with  us  old  nurses  as  if  we  had 
all  been  young.  I  told  them,  coming  home,  that 
the  only  omission,  for  St.  Valentine's,  had  been 
that  nobody  had  asked  us  to  marry  him;  so  they 
all  began  at  once.  The  one-legs  had  the  best  of  it, 
for  they  are  sure  of  eight  dollars  a  month. 

I  thought  I  might  be  able  to  tell  you  a  little  of 
Mt.  Vernon  and  my  impressions,  but  that  would 
be  impossible.  I  'm  convinced  that  one  ought  to 
be  alone  there,  or  at  least  with  one's  best  friend, 


68       Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

everything  seems  so  sacred.  You  feel  that  you 
stand  in  the  presence  of  the  spirit,  at  least,  of 
Washington ;  and  I  could  almost  believe  I  saw  him. 
It  seemed  wicked  to  speak  aloud.  The  rooms  are 
unfurnished  and  most  desolate,  and  the  old  harpsi 
chord  sounds  unearthly.  The  mantel-piece  and 
hearth  in  the  dining  room  are  splendid.  The  carv 
ing  is  in  strong  bas-relief  to  represent  agriculture 
in  all  its  forms.  Would  you  believe  that  some 
vandals  have  broken  horns  from  cows,  arms  from 
milkmaids,  and  legs  from  dogs  and  boys  to  take 
away  as  relics  ?  Is  n't  it  shameful  ?  The  view 
from  the  front  of  the  house  is  splendid;  such  a 
beautiful  river,  with  the  fort  and  hills  opposite. 

ALEXANDRIA  [March,  1863]. 

We  have  been  having  a  general  turn-up  and 
turn-out,  and  so  have  much  to  talk  about;  every 
day  brings  some  new  thing  to  light.  Dr.  S.  is 
promoted  and  leaves  here  for  some  other  field.  He 
made  his  farewell  to-night  and  was  much  affected 
at  parting.  He  has  been  to  me  as  kind  as  a  brother, 
and  has  regretted  so  many  times  that  he  did  not 
know  me  at  first. 

Our  new  doctor  in  charge  is  Dr.  Page.  I  don't 
know  where  he  comes  from.  I  saw  him  this  morn 
ing  for  the  first  time;  he  is  nice  looking  and 
gentlemanly,  and  I  'm  particularly  pleased,  for  he 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse       69 

found  much  fault  in  every  ward  but  mine,  and  in 
mine  he  praised  everything.  The  fact  is  I  have 
the  best  attendants  in  the  house,  and  they  will  do 
anything  for  me;  so  it  is  not  much  praise  to  me, 
after  all;  and  then,  at  present,  I  have  the  only 
sick  in  the  house  ( I  mean  badly  wounded  —  and 
you  'd  better  believe  they  are  well  bandaged  up 
inspection  days;  they  have  to  like  it).  I  am  quite 
impatient  to  know  where  I  shall  be  located.  There 
was  talk  of  New  Mexico  and  New  Orleans;  but 
nobody  knows  yet. 

The  river  is  black  with  ducks ;  but  they  are  too 
dear  to  buy,  and  I  have  no  time  to  go  shooting. 
Sometimes  in  the  early  morning  I  can  hear  all 
the  birds  sing ;  but,  after  that,  these  army  wagons 
constantly  moving  deaden  any  sound,  and  not  a 
breath  of  the  country  reaches  us.  Now  the  lizards 
and  beetles  are  waking  up  and  I  long  to  be  out 
in  it.  If  the  weather  would  only  be  warm  and 
pleasant  we  might  go  out,  now  that  we  have  lei 
sure,  only  the  mud  is  so  frightful. 

We  have  just  heard  that  by  the  last  of  the  week 
every  bed  in  the  house  will  be  full;  the  sick  and 
wounded  are  all  to  be  sent  from  the  front.  I  am 
sorry  the  sick  are  coming;  I  never  want  another 
sick  man  in  my  ward;  I  like  all  wounded.  Don't 
you  feel  hopeful  now  about  the  war?  These 
reforms  are  splendid  and  so  needed.  I  believe 


70       Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

now  all  will  go  well.  How  poor  the  Rebs 
must  be! 

I  thought  it  best  not  to  trouble  you  with  an 
account  of  how  we  have  been  living  lately,  — 
everything  cut  off,  nothing  but  coffee  (so  poor  and 
with  hardly  ever  milk)  and  dry  bread  for  break 
fast;  for  dinner  bread  and  meat  (and  such  meat! 
always  the  tail  or  neck  or  some  other  nasty  part), 
and  at  night  coffee  and  bread  again.  Being  hun 
gry  is  nothing  to  being  so  insulted.  We  knew  we 
had  a  right  to  all  our  rations;  and  while  Dr.  S. 
was  here  we  always  urged  Mrs.  B.  to  ask  him,  and 
so  put  us  out  of  the  power  of  these  cooks.  They 
hate  us  because  we  are  decent  women  and  will  fight 
for  the  soldiers'  rights,  thus  cutting  off  their  re 
sources.  For  some  reason  she  never  would;  she 
thought  he  would  believe  us  selfish  or  something. 

One  day  it  was  past  all  bearing.  I  was  posi 
tively  so  hungry  I  could  have  eaten  cat's  meat. 
I  sat  over  the  fire  after  supper,  tired  and  hungry 
and  wondering  if  the  good  I  did  was  balanced 
by  my  suffering  (more  from  insults  than  any 
thing  else),  when  all  at  once  it  struck  me  to  go 
to  Dr.  Page  myself.  It  was  eight  o'clock;  I  found 
him  alone,  and  he  listened  to  all  my  story.  He 
seemed  so  surprised  at  it,  said  we  had  not  even  one 
privilege  we  were  entitled  to,  called  the  Steward 
—  who  is  just  the  meanest,  hatefullest  (oh,  help 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse       71 

me  to  a  word,  I  don't  care  if  it  is  profane)  man 
that  ever  lived  —  and  told  him  that  in  future  we 
were  to  draw  our  own  rations  and  have  our  own 
cook.  I  felt  so  elated,  and  when  I  announced  it 
next  morning  the  women  actually  embraced  me. 

Well,  we  waited  for  five  days;  no  rations, 
though  we  kept  demanding  them.  Then  we  were 
cut  down  short  enough;  deprived  even  of  sugar. 
Thereupon  I  sent  word  to  H.  (the  Steward)  that 
when  the  rations  did  not  come  at  once  I  would 
appeal  to  Dr.  Page  again.  So  the  rations  for  ten 
days  (that's  the  time  for  drawing)  came;  but 
there  was  such  a  little  allowance  that  we  had  to 
buy  half  we  ate.  I  got  some  soldiers  who  had 
been  in  the  Quartermaster's  department  to  look 
at  them ;  and  they  said  we  had  not  a  third  of  what 
we  ought.  So  up  to  Dr.  Page  I  went  again  and 
told  him  of  the  matter.  He  called  H.,  who  swore 
we  had  full  weight  of  everything.  I  said,  "  Doc 
tor,  just  make  us  independent  of  this  man;  let 
us  draw  direct  from  the  Quartermaster."  "  Cer 
tainly,  when  you  like  it;"  and  he  signed  our  requi 
sition  for  eight  women. 

Mrs.  B.  and  I  went  down,  taking  a  boy  along, 
to  bring  the  rations  up.  Judge  of  our  conster 
nation  when  it  took  a  cart  to  carry  them !  Eighty 
pounds  of  meat,  eighty  pounds  of  flour,  and 
so  much  beans,  rice,  molasses,  vinegar,  pork, 


72       Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

tea,  coffee  and  sugar,  —  enough  for  every  lux 
ury.  We  acted  like  fools.  I  was  really  ashamed 
to  find  myself  so  rejoiced,  —  even  candles.  We 
called  all  the  women  down  to  see,  and  the  cooks 
were  all  so  mad,  knowing  we  were  out  of  their 
clutches,  they  could  have  bitten  us.  We  went 
out  and  traded  off  sixty-two  pounds  of  meat  and 
got  $5.25  for  it  in  cash;  this  buys  our  butter 
and  milk.  Then  our  flour  we  exchange  with 
a  baker,  pound  for  pound,  so  we  can  have  cake 
and  pies  sometimes;  and  we  shall  keep  our  beans 
and  rice  till  we  get  a  bushel  of  them,  and  then 
change  them  off.  Is  n't  it  nice  ?  And  yesterday 
all  gave  a  little,  and  the  rest  we  took  from  the 
five  dollars,  making  enough  to  get  us  cups  and 
saucers,  white  plates  and  dishes.  You  can't  think 
how  nice  our  table  looked;  the  luxury  of  a  cup 
after  drinking  eight  months  out  of  a  tin  or  earthen 
mug  was  too  much.  I  would  not  have  anybody  I 
love  connected  with  the  Quartermaster  and  Hos 
pital  department  for  the  world;  they  cannot  have 
power,  it  seems  to  me,  and  be  honest ;  it  is  proven 
every  day.  A  good  boy  comes  in  and,  if  he  has 
some  talent,  is  given  something  to  do  in  that 
department.  From  that  moment  he  begins  to  fall, 
puts  on  such  airs,  and  pockets  all  he  can. 

When  our  own  battles  were  settled,  then  it  was 
time,  when  good  feeding  had  given  us  a  little 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse       73 

strength,  to  put  in  for  our  patients ;  so  last  Sun 
day  morning  I  opened  fire.  Dr.  C.  has  that  de 
partment,  so  I  attacked  him ;  but  he  was  mad  when 
I  told  him  the  patients  would  starve  only  for  the 
nurses,  who  had  to  buy  everything  the  sickest  men 
ate.  He  denied  it,  and  said  he  knew  his  nurse  did 
not  do  it.  So  she  was  called,  and  said  she  did; 
then  the  others  were  called;  and,  at  last,  we  had 
about  every  nurse  and  doctor  in  the  house  growl 
ing  and  snarling.  Dr.  C.  said  they  had  every 
thing  according  to  the  new  diet-table;  some  of 
the  doctors  denied  it  and  some  of  them  backed 
him  up;  at  last  we  all  adjourned  to  some  under 
ground  room  (the  bread-room)  to  read  the  table 
list,  when  it  proved  that  they  got  nothing  in  the 
quantity  even  that  was  ordered  there;  and  as  to 
quality,  Lord  help  them!  How  I  wish  you  could 
have  heard  the  row !  It  went  on  all  day ;  even  in 
the  evening  everybody  was  called  up  and  talked 
to ;  and  the  result  is  that  it  has  been  a  little  better 
this  week,  though  far  from  the  mark,  and  soon 
(if  it  grows  less  every  day)  it  will  be  back  to 
the  old  standard,  for  that  wretch  H.  or  somebody 
will  miss  the  money  and  get  it  back  if  possible. 
So  you  see  our  path  is  not  all  rose-leaves,  and 
you  can  see,  too,  one  of  the  many  impositions 
put  upon  the  noble  fellows  who  are  throwing 
away  their  lives  for  such  men  as  these.  Are  all 


74       Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

men  naturally  bad?  That's  going  to  be  the  only 
religious  question  I  shall  study  in  the  future.  I 
guess  this  war  will  make  me  religious,  for  one. 
I  am  getting  a  good  deal  more  patient  and  for 
giving  than  I  used  to  be,  but  I  '11  never  forgive 
the  soldiers'  enemies.  I  can  sooner  forgive  the 
Rebels  who  kill  them. 

You  wonder  the  boys  don't  answer  the  notes 
[written  by  Lexington  ladies  and  sent  with  the 
clothing] ;  you  don't  know  how  modest  they  feel. 
Then,  too,  I  suppose  many  of  them  are  not  much 
used  to  writing.  Moreover,  they  had  some  rebuffs 

from  that  Miss ;  she  wrote  to  them  and  they 

answered;  and  then  she  thought  she  would  be 
motherly,  advise  them  about  their  spelling,  etc., 
and  that  mortified  them.  Of  course  the  letters 
were  shown  all  around,  so  it 's  given  them  all  a 
holy  horror  of  writing  to  strange  women. 

Blue  Eyes,  my  pet  boy,  leaves  me  to-morrow; 
he  is  too  lovely,  so  confiding  and  sweet;  he  is 
to  be  discharged.  I  suppose  he  cannot  walk  for 
a  long  time,  though  his  wound  is  quite  healed. 
I  shall  be  bluer  than  ever  when  he  goes.  T.,  too, 
goes  home  to-morrow.  I  never  have  told  you 
about  him;  he  is  too  mean  to  live.  He  is  dread 
fully  mad  they  gave  him  his  discharge;  says  he 
meant  to  stay  round  the  hospital  this  summer,  as 
it's  the  easiest  way  to  get  $13  a  month.  He's 
the  first  mean  Massachusetts  man  I  've  met. 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse       75 

ALEXANDRIA,  Friday  [March  or  April,  1863]. 

I  hardly  know  whether  I  have  a  head  on  my 
shoulders;  since  last  summer  I  never  saw  such 
times  here,  —  sick  coming  and  going  all  the  time. 
I  Ve  forgotten  where  I  left  off  and  can't  think 
what  to  tell  first.  I  believe  I  told  you  about  the 
amputations  we  had;  those  boys  were  so  sick  for 
so  long;  but  that  was  a  hard  time!  Dr.  B.  away, 
and  so  much  resting  on  me,  and  such  wounds  to 
dress.  The  arm  boy  wiggled  through  and  is  still 
alive.  He  is  just  as  disagreeable  as  ever;  but  it 
is  only  since  four  days  that  we  have  thought  he 
could  live.  But  that  other  splendid  man  dies.  I 
never  felt  sorrier;  he  was  such  a  noble  fellow 
and  so  good  and  patient.  He  wanted  me  by  him 
all  the  time,  and  would  not  let  any  one  touch  him 
but  me;  he  died  the  Sunday  after  I  wrote  last. 

The  very  night  he  died  they  "  piked "  the 
wounded  in  upon  us  from  that  cavalry  fight. 
They  were  all  badly  shot,  and  the  amputations  had 
all  been  performed  on  the  field.  I  had  an  Eighth 
Illinois  boy  with  the  leg  off  nearly  to  the  body; 
he  was  almost  pulseless  when  he  came,  and  was 
so  much  exhausted  with  the  long  ride  that  it  was 
twenty-four  hours  before  we  could  get  him  warm 
at  all,  and  he  has  been  lying  in  a  hopeless  state 
ever  since.  He  dictated  such  a  beautiful  letter 
to  his  sister,  though  it  was  almost  impossible  to 


76       Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

keep  him  awake  for  more  than  a  minute  at  a  time. 
He  died  yesterday  morning,  and  I  felt  as  if  half 
the  ward  was  gone.  I  had  to  write  his  sister;  it 
is  so  hard  to  write  such  letters.  He  was  a  better 
kind  of  a  boy  than  I  was  used  to  seeing  in  Illinois. 

You  would  have  to  be  here  to  realize  how  busy 
I  have  been.  We  have  no  low-diet  cook  now 
since  Mrs.  B.  gave  it  up,  and  it 's  so  hard  going 
up  and  down  four  long  flights  of  stairs  for  every 
thing;  for  we  can't  even  warm  a  drop  of  water 
up  here.  Often  I  make  the  journey  ten  or  fifteen 
times  a  day.  If  it  were  not  for  this,  I  would  like 
my  ward  better  than  any  other  in  the  house;  but 
it  takes  the  wind. 

You  can  form  no  idea  of  our  disturbed  nights, 
—  constant  alarms  and  the  backward  movement 
of  the  army.  The  continual  rattling  of  heavy 
wagons  and  the  guard  patrolling  and  challenging, 
one  cannot  sleep  much.  I  have  not  felt  fully  awake 
in  a  fortnight ;  and  when  the  noise  outside  is  a  little 
less,  comes  the  watchman  with,  "  Somebody  has  a 
chill,  or  a  pain,  or  wants  to  see  me,"  so  all  nights 
are  disturbed  ones.  You  know  what  a  dumb  sort 
of  feeling  one  has  after  a  succession  of  such  nights ; 
so  you  can  expect  only  stupidity  from  me.  Sun 
day  evening  was  the  crowner  of  all;  I  never  can 
forget  it.  We  were  all  day  expecting  the  wounded, 
all  who  have  been  lying  down  front;  those  poor, 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse        77 

neglected  soldiers,  some  seventeen  hundred  in  all, 
were  brought  to  this  place.  Such  a  dreary  sight ; 
the  streets  perfectly  jammed  with  the  poor  blessed 
cripples,  ambulances,  stretchers,  beds,  crutches, 
everything.  It  was  just  horrible.  It  was  twelve 
o'clock  when  the  last  boat-load  arrived ;  the  attend 
ants  were  all  tired  out  with  lugging  them,  and  yet 
there  were  still  hundreds  not  cared  for.  Two 
boat-loads  had  to  be  reloaded  and  sent  to  Wash 
ington.  Think  of  those  poor  sufferers!  I  had 
not  a  single  attendant  to  do  a  thing.  W.  and 
"Jack  the  Giant  Killer"  had  them  all  to  wash; 
and  I  helped  do  that  and  dressed  all  the  wounds 
besides.  I  had  fractures  to  put  up  and  anterior 
splints  to  make,  all  without  one  word  of  advice. 
Dr.  F.  has  been  my  doctor  since  Dr.  B.  went ;  but 
he  has  another  big  ward  and  was  also  officer  of  the 
day,  so  could  not  leave  for  a  moment.  He  sent 
for  me  and  said  he  should  leave  everything  for 
me  to  manage  as  I  thought  proper.  Dr.  Page  came 
up  about  twelve  and  was  so  pleased  with  what  I 
had  done.  It  was  nearly  morning  when  we  got 
to  bed. 

Monday  and  Tuesday  went  off  splendidly.  I 
had  all  the  work  I  wanted  and  such  "  bully " 
wounds  to  dress ;  but  Tuesday  night  came  another 
despatch  from  headquarters  that  every  man  who 
could  be  moved  must  leave  next  morning  for 


78       Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

r 

Philadelphia ;    so  before  I  had  got  interested  or 

could  distinguish  one  man  from  another  I  lost 
them  all.  They  were  such  a  nice  set  of  men, 
all  from  the  Twelfth  and  Sixth  army  corps,  and 
such  brave  boys ;  was  n't  it  too  bad  when  we  had 
got  them  all  cleaned  up  and  straightened  out  to 
have  them  go  again?  They  left  me  only  six  of 
the  new  cases.  I  have  eleven  in  all.  It  was  harder 
to  have  them  go  than  come,  I  think;  they  did 
not  want  to  leave,  either.  This  has  been  the  most 
confusing  time  I  have  known  since  last  summer. 
Mrs.  B.  is  quite  worn  out;  she  had  so  many  bad 
thigh  fractures  which  could  not  be  brought 
upstairs. 

Sunday  night  [March  or  April,  1863]. 

I  shall  give  up,  I  cannot  write;  I  have  tried 
fifty  times  since  this  was  commenced.  You  can't 
know  all  I  have  done  these  last  two  days;  more 
patients  have  come  and  gone,  and  now  I  have 
only  ten  left  in  my  ward;  but  I  have  been  into 
two  other  wards  helping,  or  rather  putting  up 
anterior  splints;  for  you  will  feel  quite  proud 
to  know  that  I  can  put  them  up  —  so  the  surgeons 
say  —  better  than  any  one  in  the  house.  At  any 
rate,  Dr.  P.  of  Boston  is  lying  here  with  his  leg 
very  badly  fractured;  he  is  not  in  my  ward,  but 
Dr.  F.  sent  compliments  for  me  to  come  and  dress 
it.  He  and  two  other  surgeons  stood  by  while 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse       79 

I  worked;  they  never  gave  one  word  of  advice, 
just  stood  and  looked  on;  and  when  I  had  finished 
they  all  said  they  never  saw  one  so  well  put  up. 
I  felt  so  glad,  for  you  must  see  it  was  no  small 
compliment.  The  patient  himself  is  a  fine  sur 
geon,  and  he  was  most  delighted  of  all.  I  know 
this  sounds  very  egotistical,  but  at  present  my 
passion  is  wound  dressing,  and  I  will  excel. 

Major  Higginson,  of  the  First  Massachusetts 
Cavalry,  is  in  the  house.  He  is  such  a  pleasant 
man,  cousin  to  the  minister;  he  so  wants  to  come 
into  my  ward.  His  father  is  here  to  take  him  home 
when  he  is  well  enough.  Besides  three  sabre  cuts, 
he  has  a  bullet  in  him.  He  asked  me  to  come  down 
every  day  and  see  him,  for  he  has  such  a  hateful 
nurse.  He  used  to  be  Lieutenant  in  the  Second 
Massachusetts,  Company  E.  Is  n't  it  provoking 
I  never  can  get  Massachusetts  boys  in  my  ward? 

I  'm  in  for  the  war  until  discharged ;  I  can't  for 
a  moment  regret  it;  I  could  never  be  contented 
now  at  home  remembering  what  I  can  do  here 
and  how  many  need  me.  I  know  that  all  are  not 
fitted  for  this  life,  but  I  feel  as  if  it  were  my 
special  calling  and  I  shall  not  leave  it,  if  God  gives 
me  strength,  while  I  know  there  is  a  Union  soldier 
to  nurse.  You  can  have  no  idea  how  one's  patriot 
ism  grows  while  one  sees  those  poor  fellows  lying 
so  piteonsly.  I  can't  see  how  such  a  thing  as  a 


8o       Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

Copperhead  can  live.  Do  kill  every  one  in  Lex 
ington.  How  I  do  wish  every  one  of  them  was  in 
the  Rebel  lines  to  be  shot  down! 

The  town  is  full  of  rumors  to-day.  They  say 
we  are  having  the  best  of  it;  but  what  can  one 
believe?  We  heard  cannonading  last  night,  but 
far  off.  I  suppose  the  Second  [Massachusetts]  is 
fighting  again ;  it  always  fights,  you  know.  I  don't 
have  any  time  to  enjoy  my  new  clothes;  I  can't 
even  glance  in  the  glass  to  see  how  I  look  in  them. 
I  had  my  old  bonnet  "  newed  "  up,  and  it  looks 
delicious. 

ALEXANDRIA  [April  or  May,  1863],  Wednesday. 
We  went  to  Washington  yesterday,  sightseeing, 
—  Mrs.  B.  and  daughter,  Mrs.  M.  and  I.  We  did 
the  Smithsonian  thoroughly,  and  then  went  to 
the  Capitol;  whereupon  it  commenced  raining 
like  piker.  We  had  a  fine  chance  to  see  every 
thing,  for  we  could  not  get  away,  took  a  lunch 
there  (about  the  poorest  ever  was  eaten),  but  had 
finally  to  come  back  again.  We  have  to  go  again 
one  day  this  week  to  finish  up  the  business.  I  wish 
you  could  see  some  of  the  green  specimens  we 
met  yesterday;  it  was  better  than  all  else.  Such 
shocking,  "  muggins  "  women ;  they  had  to  sit  in 
every  chair  and  stand  in  every  place,  and  they 
talked  about  the  piles  of  babies  (cupids  and 
angels)  painted  on  the  walls;  "didn't  see  what 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse       8 1 

they  painted  them  there  for."  They  went  into 
all  the  private  rooms  and  asked  so  many  questions ; 
they  "  had  n't  no  umbrel  and  no  gums,  and  did  n't 
see  what  they  was  going  to  do."  I  concluded  the 
unterrified  democracy  had  got  around,  sure.  I 
suppose  I  seemed  just  as  verdant,  but  I  did  n't 
feel  so. 

ALEXANDRIA,  Wednesday  [May,  1863]. 

W.  has  just  come  back  to  me  wounded  in  the 
head.  We  hope  not  badly;  but  he  is  in  a  very 
exhausted  state,  as  when  he  went  into  the  field 
he  was  not  fit  for  it,  and  they  had  never  stopped 
marching  from  Monday  morning  at  three  o'clock 
till  Sunday,  when  he  was  wounded;  just  march 
ing  and  fighting  all  the  time.  Poor  fellow,  he  was 
so  overcome  when  he  got  here;  he  is  sleeping 
now,  and  when  he  wakes  the  doctor  will  examine 
him,  and  I  shall  know  better  how  he  is.  The 
glorious  Second  [Massachusetts]  has  won  new 
laurels.  He  says  he  would  rather  have  been  the 
meanest  private  in  that  than  a  general  anywhere 
else.  This  is  a  bad  storm  for  our  poor  fellows,  but 
let  us  hope  for  the  best.  I  feel  sure  we  shall  win. 
How  I  hate  my  Reb  wounded ;  they  are  so  exult 
ant,  too,  this  morning ;  I  'm  sure  they  have  heard 
something.  I  don't  think  I  can  dress  their  wounds 
any  more.  Aunt  Mary  S.  asked  them  if  they 
were  well  treated.  "  Oh,  splendid,  madam."  "  I 

6 


82       Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

am  glad  to  hear  it,"  she  said,  "  I  like  even  my 
enemies  to  be  well  treated."  "  Oh,  madam,  you 
are  not  Secesh  then  ?  "  "  No,  sir,  not  a  drop  of 
traitor  blood  runs  in  my  veins."  She  looked  bully 
when  she  said  it. 

There  is  a  lot  of  fun  made  about  turning  the 
boxes  over  to  the  hospital.  To-day  one  of  the 
nurses  was  telling  her  doctor  of  my  box  and  the 
fine  dresses  it  contained ;  she  is  rather  "  soft," 
and  said  I  had  such  a  lovely  lawn  and  a  balmoral 
skirt  she  wanted.  So  he  wrote  an  order,  and  sent 
it  in,  for  "One  purple  lawn  dress  and  one  balmoral 
skirt  to  be  delivered  to  the  nurse  on  the  third 
floor."  It  took  some  time  for  Mrs.  B.  to  get  the 
matter  through  her  wool. 

I  'm  reading  Les  Miserables  to  W.  to  try  to 
make  him  contented.  I  read  it  as  I  would  like 
to  have  it  read  to  me,  on  the  jump  and  skip  plan. 

A  lot  of  women  came  in  to-day  just  as  I  was 
dressing  "  Blue  Beard's  "  wound.  One  of  them, 
as  she  saw  it,  just  gave  a  stagger  and  fell  up 
against  the  wall.  She  was  pale  as  could  be,  and 
I  thought  would  faint.  All  the  women  crowded 
around,  and  one  young  one  said,  "  Oh,  I  always 
thought  I  should  so  like  to  be  a  nurse."  She 
looked  about  as  much  account  as  a  yellow  cat. 

His  wound,  by  the  way,  is  n't  doing  very  well ; 
but  he  's  such  a  nice  fellow,  the  beau  ideal  of  a 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse       8  3 

soldier  in  bearing,  and  looks  so  prompt  and  trig, 
and  is  real  good  and  patriotic.  He  wants  to  go 
back  to  the  field,  but  I  'm  afraid  the  poor  fellow 
never  will.  He  won't  be  idle,  so  he  has  taken  the 
diet  and  dispensary  books  and  the  light  work  of 
the  ward.  My  big  Jack  is  getting  better  and  will 
soon  be  off  again;  he,  too,  is  a  real  nice  fellow. 
I  want  to  make  him  wound-dresser,  if  we  ever 
have  any  wounded,  but  he  would  rather  be  in  the 
field.  Oh,  the  shirks  there  are  in  this  army;  so 
many  cowards  to  one  brave  man! 

ALEXANDRIA,  VA.,  Sunday,  May  17,  1863. 

We  have  been  expecting  some  wounded  all  day 
from  Fairfax  Station;  there  was  a  fight  with 
the  Guerillas  and  Vermont  cavalry  and  some  New 
York  regiment;  but  they  have  not  come  yet; 
probably,  as  usual,  they  will  come  in  the  night. 

You  ask  about  our  rations.  The  drawing  of 
them  is  a  fixed  fact ;  every  ten  days  Mrs.  B.  and  I 
go  down  with  our  requisitions,  and,  now  we  begin 
to  understand  it,  you  can't  know  how  nicely  we  live. 
It  takes  some  dickering,  but  she  is  good  at  that, 
and  we  have  such  a  surplus.  Of  our  meat  alone 
(fresh  beef)  we  can  always  sell  seventy-five 
pounds,  and  sometimes  ninety.  A  butcher  buys 
it  at  government  price  (8^  c.),  and  pays  us  cash; 
this  buys  butter,  eggs,  other  kinds  of  meat  or 


84       Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

"  garding  sarce;"  the  milkman  takes  pork  or 
molasses  for  his  pay;  and  the  baker  gives  us 
bread,  pound  for  pound,  for  our  flour.  We  have 
pie  or  cakes  now  and  then,  and  no  more  growling ; 
every  one  is  pleased  at  the  table.  We  bought  some 
cups  and  saucers  and  spoons  (we  used  to  have 
mugs  or  tin  cups  and  one  huge  iron  spoon  put  into 
the  sugar),  and  our  table  now  looks  quite  like 
white  folks. 

I  can't  help  liking  Dr.  Page,  nor  do  I  see  who 
can;  he  never  talks  to  any  one,  but  he  makes  all 
the  reforms  we  ask  for.  The  patients  for  the  first 
time  get  enough  to  eat,  and  good  food  too;  and 
we  have  only  to  complain  (I  mean  a  just  com 
plaint)  and  he  rights  it. 

I  have  not  told  you  how  near  I  came  to  going 
to  the  front.  Miss  Dix  promised  to  take  me;  for 
a  couple  of  days  I  got  entirely  ready  and  then 
went  in  to  dress  my  wounds ;  I  have  such  a  stupid 
set,  I  had  no  one  to  trust.  I  set  two  men  to  watch 
for  the  mail  boat;  we  can  see  it  all  the  way  from 
Washington.  They  sat  at  the  windows,  and  I 
worked  away  on  those  devilish  Rebs,  when,  hap 
pening  to  look  out,  there  I  saw  the  boat  at  our 
wharf  just  starting  again.  I  could  have  killed 
the  men;  but  after  all  it  was  just  as  well,  for  W. 
was  very  sick  that  day  and  the  next,  and  I  had  to 
be  with  him  every  moment.  I  don't  know  what 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse       85 

Miss  Dix  will  say,  but  I  sha'n't  tell  her  it  was 
stupidity.  As  W.  was  so  sick,  I  can  say  it  was  he 
who  kept  me. 

Monday  morning  [May  18,  1863]. 

I  was  interrupted  yesterday,  and  last  evening 
I  had  to  go  to  church;  so  I  must  hurry  up  this 
morning  and  get  this  in  the  post.  We  have  been 
having  such  fusses  and  cross-fits  all  over  the  house 
this  morning,  about  these  Rebs,  that  I  feel  not  at 
all  disposed  to  write.  Some  of  the  nurses  are  so 
clever  to  them,  always  running  and  cooking  for 
them,  that  I  've  got  out  of  all  patience.  I  say 
what  is  good  enough  for  our  men  is  too  good  for 
them.  Mrs.  M.  sometimes  gets  one  of  hers  three 
breakfasts  before  he  is  suited.  I  wish  I  had  him 
in  my  ward ;  there  'd  be  one  hungry  man  in  the 
house  unless  he  ate  what  I  gave  him  first.  How 
susceptible  some  women  are  to  flattery;  they  (the 
Rebs)  really  do  have  twice  the  privileges  that  our 
Union  boys  have. 

I  hope  before  I  write  you  again  we  shall  have 
our  house  filled  up  once  more;  I  am  so  tired  of 
this  idleness.  Those  wounded  expected  yesterday 
did  not  come,  and  we  almost  despair.  I  wish  the 
army  would  move  again;  but  I  still  believe  in 
Hooker,  and  expect  much  from  him  as  soon  as 
the  two  years'  men  have  done  going  off.  I  hope 
you  will  never  notice  the  nine  months5  men;  they 


86       Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

are  not  worth  "  shucks."  Don't  go  to  the  show, 
will  you,  when  they  come  home?  They  just 
lie  round  hospitals;  this  has  been  full  of  them, 
lazier  than  hounds.  All  they  want  is  the  bounty 
and  to  get  home.  All  the  Rebs  they  see  are  the 
prisoners. 

ALEXANDRIA  [May,  1863]. 

On  Monday  morning  news  came  that  a  boat 
load  of  wounded  men  were  on  the  way  for  us. 
They  arrived  about  five  o'clock,  —  such  a  sick, 
neglected  set  as  one  could  ever  see;  they  were 
some  of  those  who  had  been  in  the  Rebs'  hands 
and  had  had  nothing  done  for  them  till  they  got 
over  the  lines,  —  and  then  very  little,  for  the  ac 
commodations  are  miserable  in  those  tents.  I  have 
no  patience  at  all  at  so  many  being  kept  there; 
it 's  such  a  shame  that  so  little  is  done  for  our 
wounded  to  get  them  to  comfortable  quarters.  In 
every  instance  it's  been  so;  a  week  at  least  must 
elapse  before  anything  is  done  for  them.  Who 
does  or  can  control  this,  I  wonder?  I  got  nine 
for  my  share,  for  they  had  to  be  distributed  all 
over  town.  As  they  are  the  first  wounded  that 
have  come  for  a  long  time  to  Alexandria,  all  are 
greedy  as  cormorants  to  get  some. 

I  expect  you  will  want  a  full  history  of  mine, 
so  I  '11  begin  at  the  beginning ;  and  the  beginning 
is  that  a  more  wooden,  stupid  set  of  dough-heads 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse       87 

never  lived  than  my  attendants,  the  whole  "biling" 
being  green,  nine-months'  Vermonters.  I  shall  now 
fully  understand  "Green  Mountain  Boys."  I  never 
completely  realized  my  loss  in  all  my  dear,  good 
boys  till  that  day.  I  thought  I  never  should  get 
the  patients  washed  and  into  bed.  At  last,  in 
despair,  I  had  to  press  poor  W.  into  the  service, 
though  I  knew  it  would  bring  on  fearful  excitement 
and  that  it  would  be  hours  before  he  could  sleep; 
but  he  insisted,  seeing  my  despair,  on  bossing  the 
job,  and  at  last  they  were  comfortably  in  bed. 
Until  you  could  once  be  in  a  hospital  and  see  the 
state  of  the  men  as  they  come  in,  especially  of 
those  who  have  the  blood  of  three  weeks  upon 
them  and  the  dirt  of  as  many  months,  you  can 
form  no  idea  of  the  undertaking.  But  the  sat 
isfaction  on  their  faces  when  all  is  done  and 
they  are  finally  at  rest  is  very  great.  Especially 
when  a  woman  is  near  to  nurse  them,  they  seem 
so  grateful. 

These  men  are  all  of  the  Eleventh  Corps,  and 
every  one  was  shot  in  the  first  moments  of  the 
attack.  They  are  all  Germans  but  one,  and  he  is 
Irish.  I  don't  believe  he  ran ;  he  is  a  spunky  little 
fellow  and  bears  pain  "  bully."  He  always  smiles 
when  I  dress  his  wound,  and  only  grits  his  teeth 
a  little  when  I  stuff  the  lint  in.  Next  to  him  lies 
the  hero  of  the  ward,  a  little  German  boy  of  seven- 


88       Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

teen.  A  piece  of  shell  struck  him  just  by  the 
lower  part  of  the  right  ear,  glancing  upward  a 
little,  ploughing  through  the  cheek  to  the  bone, 
and  cutting  off  the  end  of  the  nose.  It  is  almost 
impossible  to  give  chloroform  to  patients  when 
the  mouth  is  being  operated  upon,  and  he  said  he 
did  not  care  for  it ;  so  they  performed  without  any. 
He  never  even  frowned;  the  only  indication  of 
pain  was  the  shaking  of  his  foot.  The  room  was 
filled  with  doctors  and  lookers-on,  and  they  did 
nothing  but  marvel.  He  can't  speak  one  word 
of  English,  is  so  interesting,  and  must  have  been 
very  handsome.  The  other  two  in  that  room  are 
not  so  badly  wounded;  only  they  have  been  so 
long  neglected  that  they  need  much  care. 

In  the  next  room  lies  a  handsome  German  with 
a  fractured  arm.  The  next  is  wounded  through 
the  lungs,  the  ball  coming  out  at  the  back  under 
the  left  shoulder.  One  has  a  sabre-cut  over  the 
head ;  but  it 's  a  flesh  wound,  and  he  will  soon  be 
right.  Next  is  a  boy  of  seventeen  who  was  shot 
through  the  left  elbow.  But  the  great  case  of  the 
house  is  my  "  mouth  "  man,  a  really  noble  fellow. 
He,  too,  is  German,  as  all  the  rest.  The  ball  en 
tered  just  at  the  point  of  the  collar  bone  nearest 
the  throat,  and  lodged  in  the  right  shoulder- joint 
fast  and  firm,  just  in  the  ball  of  the  joint.  It  was 
an  hour  and  forty  minutes  from  the  time  they  be- 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse       89 

gan  to  operate  upon  him  till  all  was  done;  it 's  per 
fectly  wonderful  how  one  can  live  after  such  an 
operation,  but  he  is  doing  splendidly.  Worst  of 
all  is  that  my  doctor  went  off  Thursday  and  left 
me  with  all  these  important  wounds  to  take  care 
of,  and  not  a  person  except  these  stupid  men 
even  to  help  dress.  I  have  felt  so  anxious  and 
responsible. 

Here  I  have  been  writing  all  this  and  not  telling 
you  one  word  of  the  excitement  around  us.  For 
the  last  week  all  sorts  of  rumors  have  been  afloat 
of  the  invasion  of  Alexandria;  preparations  have 
been  making  all  around,  rifle  pits  dug  everywhere, 
arming  negroes,  mounting  batteries  and  such 
things,  even  the  bridge  made  ready  to  be  destroyed 
at  a  moment's  notice,  and  no  one  permitted  to  go 
out  of  town;  but  still  no  one  exactly  believing, 
half  ridiculing;  —  till  to-day  matters  begin  to  be 
serious.  Rifle  pits  are  dug  across  all  streets  lead 
ing  to  the  commissary  departments,  for  here  lie 
all  the  stores  for  the  whole  army  of  the  Potomac. 
Just  at  the  corner  of  our  hospital  and  just  under 
my  window  one  is  dug,  and  a  battery  of  four  guns 
planted;  so  we  shall  have  some  shooting  (I  mean 
if  they  come),  and  since  I  began  to  write  up  comes 
the  orderly,  counts  out  every  man  in  the  hospital 
able  to  shoulder  a  gun,  and  arms  them  all,  so  that 
at  a  moment's  warning  they  may  be  ready. 


90       Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

I  don't  feel  the  least  frightened  for  myself,  but 
it 's  horrid  to  think  of  these  poor  wounded  fellows 
and  what  they  would  suffer.  The  town  is  full  of 
Secesh  just  waiting  for  a  raid  in  order  to  come 
out  openly;  and  they  could  fire  every  hospital  at 
once.  I  only  hope  the  newspaper  reports  won't 
alarm  you  at  home. 

General  Clough,  the  military  governor  of  this 
place,  was  in  here  to-night,  and  says  the  enemy 
are  within  ten  miles  of  us,  but  how  strong  he 
does  n't  know ;  of  course  they  are  in  some  force 
or  they  would  not  venture  near  so  many  forts 
as  guard  this  town.  Guards  are  patrolling  the 
streets,  and  "Halt!"  is  the  continuous  cry.  I 
sent  a  man  out  for  ice  to-night,  and  they  snapped 
him  up.  I  assure  you  it 's  very  exciting;  of  course 
much  is  said  that  is  not  true,  but  there  must  be 
some  cause  for  all  this  fuss.  I  'm  so  glad  my 
Secesh  men  are  all  disposed  of.  They  Ve  been 
sent  to  Washington.  There  are  only  four  in  the 
house  now,  and  those  have  a  guard  placed  over 
them  to-night.  Last  night  the  long  roll  beat  from 
twelve  till  two;  it  sounded  good. 

I  am  glad  you  liked  W.'s  face;  I  think  it's  so 
good  and  manly.  He  begins  to  look  like  himself 
again;  his  hair  has  grown  out  a  little,  and  the 
wound  is  entirely  healed.  Dr.  Bellangee1  scolds 

1  Assistant  surgeon,  in  charge  of  Mrs.  von  Olnhausen's  ward; 
subsequently  surgeon-in-chief  at  Morehead  City. 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse       91 

me  because  I  closed  it  so  nicely ;  says  it  is  not  half 
enough  of  a  scar;  but  his  others  are  bad  enough 
to  do  him  credit.  You  would  have  laughed  to  see 
him,  he  was  so  funny  sometimes.  One  time  he 
saw  some  Secesh  women  passing  along;  he  flew 
out  after  them  and  pulled  them  by  the  sleeve: 
"Here,  you  Secesh  women,  you  hunting  for  Rebs? 
Well,  turn  to  your  right  and  look  in  the  first  right- 
hand  door,  and  there  you  '11  see  a  bully  old  Reb  " ; 
then  he  made  a  profound  bow,  ran  back,  hopped 
into  bed,  and  looked  as  innocent  as  if  he  'd  done 
nothing.  They  were  scared  enough,  and  mad  too. 
Another  time  he  threw  his  old  slippers  at  two  and 
said,  "  My  new  ones  are  too  good  for  Rebs ;  they 
came  from  Lexington."  They  excited  him  so 
that  the  doctor  forbade  their  coming  through  this 
hall. 

I  often  wish  you  could  see  some  of  the  letters 
I  receive  from  the  men  when  they  go  away;  I 
sometimes  think  I  '11  send  them  to  you.  Of  course 
many  of  them  are  poor  "  or'n'ry  "  specimens,  but 
they  are  so  earnest,  and  some  of  them  beautiful  in 
sentiment. 

ALEXANDRIA  [May,  1863]. 

We  have  not  had  any  wounded  brought  from 
the  front  yet;  but  they  brought  sixteen  Rebs 
from  Warren  ton  (Mosby's  men),  all  shockingly 
wounded.  I  had  four  brought  into  my  ward.  I 


92       Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

did  hate  to  have  them,  and  felt  at  first  that  I  could 
not  take  care  of  them ;  but  two  were  so  bad  I  had 
to  pity  them,  even  after  I  heard  the  worst  things 
about  one  of  them.  He  was  a  boy  only  sixteen, 
so  lousy  and  dirty  you  could  not  see  his  skin,  and 
with  long  hair,  as  they  all  have,  like  a  girl's.  He 
had  been  fighting  but  two  months,  and  was  an 
only  son.  His  home  is  just  a  little  way  from  here, 
and  his  voice  was  like  a  child's;  and  yet  when,  in 
the  early  part  of  the  fight,  one  of  our  men  had 
been  surprised,  had  surrendered,  and  had  handed 
his  revolver  over  to  him,  the  boy  shot  him  dead. 
It  seemed  impossible  for  me  to  dress  his  wounds; 
but  his  sufferings  were  so  terrible  that  I  forgot 
for  the  time  how  wicked  he  was.  He  told  me  he 
was  sorry  he  had  ever  left  his  home.  He  wanted 
so  to.get  well,  and  kept  saying,  "  Good  lady,  can't 
I  get  a  discharge  from  this  hospital?  I  want  to 
go  home."  Poor  little  fellow!  his  mother  should 
have  kept  him  there.  I  saw  in  another  hospital,  a 
few  days  ago,  a  little  boy  only  fourteen  who  had 
been  through  all  that  Peninsular  Campaign.  How 
homesick  he  was,  and  how  tired  of  soldiering! 
He  was  a  drummer  boy.  I  believe  they  have  sent 
him  home. 

I  wish  you  could  see  my  little  turtle;  it  is  not 
bigger  than  a  cent  and  is  real  pretty.  Every  night 
it  crapples  out,  and  I  have  such  a  hunt  for  him. 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse       93 

Yesterday  I  found  him  in  Mrs.  M.'s  bed.  Then 
I  have  a  snail  that  I  found  at  Mt.  Vernon  last 
winter;  he,  too,  goes  wandering.  Every  time 
we  are  to  have  a  storm  he  is  as  big  as  a  quarter- 
dollar.  I  keep  a  pan  with  wild  flowers  and  roots 
in  it  for  them  to  live  in,  and  give  them  meat  and 
sugar  to  eat.  I  always  hunt  for  beetles  whenever 
I  go  out,  and  have  some  live  ones.  May  Day  I 
spent  over  the  river  alone;  it  is  always  a  pretty 
sad  day  to  me. 

One  of  my  men,  who  has  been  to  New  Jersey 
on  a  furlough,  says  that  the  Copperheads  offered 
him,  if  he  would  desert  and  stay  at  home,  fifteen 
dollars  a  month  and  house-rent  free,  and  agreed 
to  protect  him  if  our  people  attempted  to  arrest 
him.  He  was  mad,  and  made  such  a  flaming 
speech  to  the  crowd  that  a  Union  man  stepped  up 
and  gave  him  twenty-five  dollars  for  his  family, 
and  said  if  they  wanted  anything  they  could  come 
to  him.  Bully  for  my  man!  I  wish  you  could 
see  this  river  now;  every  few  hours  a  boat-load 
of  prisoners  goes  past;  to-day,  it  is  said,  three 
thousand  have  gone  up. 

ALEXANDRIA  [May,  1863]. 

It  is  dreadful  living  so  near  the  field  of  battle 
[Chancellorsville].  It's  only  about  forty  miles 
from  here;  and  yet  you  get  the  real  news  as 
soon  as  we,  —  I  mean,  reliable  news.  From  the 


94       Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

heights  about  the  town,  we  can  hear  the  guns, 
and  boats  are  constantly  passing  up  and  down; 
and  yet  there  are  a  thousand  false  to  one  true 
rumor.  For  two  days  it  was  said  Hooker  had 
failed  and  that  his  loss  was  fearful;  I  mean  they 
said  so,  not  the  papers.  I  never  passed  two  such 
days  as  those  were.  Then  came  the  good  news; 
and  I  almost  felt  that,  even  if  our  dear  friends 
are  wounded,  it  was  such  high  honor  to  be 
wounded  fighting  under  such  a  soldier  and  for 
such  a  cause,  they  were  to  be  envied.  Does  not 
this  war  make  one  pious,  though?  I  feel  like 
praying  all  the  time.  I  did  not  know  till  now 
how  strong  my  faith  in  God  and  his  power  was; 
now  I  am  constantly  turning  to  him.  It  is  useless 
trying  to  tell  you  how  I  miss  my  dear  friends,  — 
every  one  gone  now  except  Sergeant  G.,  and  he 
leaves  next  week.  I  feel  as  if  I  must  go,  and  yet 
I  'm  near  the  front  here,  and  if  mine  need  me  I 
can  be  with  them. 

You  will  think  we  are  always  having  fusses  here, 
but  —  such  a  house !  Sunday,  when  Dr.  Page 
went  into  Mrs.  B.'s  store-room  she  asked  him  for 
some  things  that  the  men  in  the  dispensary  had 
refused  to  give  up,  but  that  had  been  sent  to  her 
by  the  Sanitary  Commission.  Dr.  Page  told  her 
he  thought  the  dispensary  was  the  proper  place 
for  them,  and  that,  furthermore,  he  meant  to  con- 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse       95 

fiscate  everything  sent  to  the  nurses  in  the  way 
of  delicacies  or  clothes.  You  may  bet  my  back  was 
up ;  so  yesterday  morning  I  went  to  him  and  asked 
if  he  was  in  earnest ;  he  said,  "  Yes."  I  told  him 
that  rather  than  give  what  things  I  had  to  those 
miserable,  drinking  boys,  I  'd  throw  them  from 
the  windows.  "  Do  they  drink?  "  "  Doctor,  you 
know  they  do,  when  you  look  in  their  faces.  My 
friends  send  those  things  for  soldiers,  not  for 
clerks  and  stewards  who,  I  know,  constantly  invite 
their  friends  and  treat  them  to  delicacies  and 
wines."  "Are  you  sure?"  "Yes,  within  a 
week."  So  I  explained  what  I  knew;  also  that 
they  had  used  a  large  quantity  of  choice  stores  left 
with  them,  subject  to  my  particular  order  only, 
by  a  Philadelphia  lady  who  was  not  permitted  to 
bring  them  upstairs.  I  had  never  had  but  two 
orders  rilled,  and  then  all  was  gone.  I  told  him, 
moreover,  that  I  thought  it  was  wrong  to  place  so 
much  temptation  before  mere  boys.  "  I  agree 
with  you,"  he  said ;  "  and  now,  when  I  will  take 
all  the  wines  and  liquors  from  the  dispensary,  will 
you  take  charge  of  and  deliver  them  ?  "  I  told  him 
I  thought  there  were  others  better  qualified  than 
I  (meaning  Mrs.  B.).  "  Ha!  you  come  with  con- 
plaints  and  then  shirk  responsibility!"  So  I  ac 
cepted  at  once  rather  than  be  charged  that  way; 
but  I  went  right  to  the  Chaplain  and  told  him  he 


96       Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

must  go  and  beg  Dr.  Page  to  put  Mrs.  B.  in  my 
place;  it  was  so  wrong  to  take  it  from  her.  I 
knew  she  would  feel  hurt,  told  him  I  was  a  dough- 
head,  and  that  he  must  say  so.  He  talked  the 
doctor  over,  and  now  she  is  to  have  them. 

ALEXANDRIA,  Sunday  [June,  1863]. 
You  must  have  been  surprised  at  my  letter  an 
nouncing  W.'s  return  so  soon  after  his  leaving. 
I  was  so  stunned  at  seeing  him  I  don't  know  what 
I  wrote  about  him.  Anyway  I  knew  nothing  of 
his  wound  or  what  he  had  gone  through  to  get 
here  until  after  that;  so  I  have  no  fear  of  giving 
a  twice-told  tale.  You  can  form  no  idea  how 
utterly  prostrated  he  was  with  fatigue  and  loss 
of  blood  and  the  shock  of  the  ball.  From  Monday 
morning,  at  three,  till  about  eight  on  Sunday 
morning,  when  he  was  wounded,  the  regiment  was 
marching  and  fighting  all  the  time.  In  fording 
the  Rapidan  the  water  was  up  to  their  arm-pits; 
they  charged  on  a  body  of  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  Rebs  (I  think  he  said),  who  were  building 
a  most  substantial  bridge  across  the  river,  and 
took  them  all  prisoners.  He  said  the  boys  were 
just  as  full  of  fun  as  if  they  had  waded  in  for 
play;  when  they  saw  a  Reb  hiding  or  skulking 
off,  they  would  call,  "  Come  here,  Johnny  Reb  " 
(they  all  call  them  that  name),  "  we  won't  hurt 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse       97 

you."  It  was  about  four  o'clock,  they  were  all 
wet  through,  the  night  was  cold,  not  a  fire  was 
allowed,  and  they  just  bivouacked  in  the  woods 
without  any  cover.  What  these  poor  souls  have 
to  suffer ! 

When  W.  first  fell,  all  supposed  he  was  killed; 
he  was  insensible.  When  he  came  to,  G.  and  M. 
—  another  noble  fellow  —  were  kneeling  beside 
him,  tears  rolling  down  their  cheeks.  They  had 
only  time  to  say  good-bye  and  receive  his  messages 
when  they  had  to  leave  him.  After  they  had  ex 
hausted  their  ammunition  (he  had  fired  forty 
rounds  before  he  fell),  they  were  ordered  to  the 
rear  to  replenish,  and  bore  him  along  so  tenderly, 
saw  him  cared  for  at  a  hospital,  and  went  to  the 
front  again.  He  does  n't  know  how  long  he  stayed 
there;  but  before  night  the  hospital  was  shelled, 
and  he  only  remembers  hobbling  up.  He  must 
have  got  to  another  hospital,  as,  early  in  the  morn 
ing,  that  was  shelled,  and  again  all  were  started 
off  somewhere  else.  He  took  the  road  to  Falmouth 
with  the  one  idea  to  get  back  to  Dr.  Bellangee  and 
myself.  He  walked  some  time;  then  a  negro  came 
along,  took  him  into  his  wagon  and  drew  him 
some  four  miles;  the  driver's  road  was  then  an 
other  way,  so  he  laid  him  down  to  wait  again. 
Soon  a  white  man  with  a  government  wagon  came 
along,  but  refused  to  take  him  up.  W.  threatened 

7 


98       Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

him,  when  the  man  got  down  and  lifted  him  in. 
He  says  the  horror  of  that  ride  can't  be  told ;  the 
man  drove  so  frightfully  over  such  an  awful  road. 
At  last  he  reached  a  hospital  in  Falmouth;  as 
he  lay  there  quite  exhausted,  he  heard  some  one 
say,  "  The  cars  leave  in  half  an  hour  for  Aquia 
Creek."  He  inquired  the  way  to  the  station,  and 
only  remembers  getting  on  the  platform  when  the 
cars  started.  Then  he  only  knows  he  passed  the 
night  in  a  hospital  there,  and  some  one  gave  him 
his  bed.  All  this  time  he  had  eaten  nothing  (and 
in  fact  since  they  had  started  on  that  Monday 
morning  he  had  never  eaten  the  three  days'  rations 
in  his  haversack).  Again  some  one  said  near 
him,  "  The  boat  leaves  directly  for  Washington." 
He  asked  if  he  could  not  go;  they  told  him,  not 
without  a  permit  from  the  Provost-Marshal,  and 
there  was  no  time  for  that;  so  he  remembers 
stealing  out  in  the  rear,  to  avoid  the  guards,  and 
coming  down  to  the  wharf.  Just  as  he  crossed 
the  plank,  it  was  taken  in  and  the  boat  started. 
This  was  about  four.  He  remembers  nothing 
again  until  he  was  at  the  wharf,  some  time  in 
the  night,  at  Washington,  lying  on  the  floor,  so 
cold,  and  begging  some  one  to  close  the  doors. 

Next  morning  he  went  up  to  the  Sanitary  rooms 
near  there,  had  his  wound  dressed  for  the  first 
time,  —  he  thinks  with  camphor,  by  some  fussy 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse       99 

old  woman  who  "  deared  "  him  and,  though  so 
miserable,  made  him  laugh,  she  "  poor-thinged  " 
him  so.  He  then  asked  to  be  sent  to  Alexandria; 
again  they  told  him  he  must  first  go  to  the  Provost- 
Marshal,  and  that  his  office  was  two  miles  off.  He 
knew  he  could  not  get  there,  so  he  inquired  the 
way  to  the  Alexandria  wharf.  All  this  time  seems 
just  like  a  dream  to  him ;  he  said  he  was  conscious 
of  no  pain  or  of  any  other  thought,  except  "  When 
I  get  there  it  will  be  all  right."  He  walked  half 
a  mile  to  the  wharf;  they  refused  to  take  him, 
but  said  perhaps  the  government  tugs  would,  and 
they  lay  back  where  he  started  from;  so  back  the 
dear  soul  struggled  again.  Is  n't  it  pitiful  ?  He 
just  asked  a  tug  if  they  stopped  at  Alexandria, 
and  they  told  him  yes  (so  strange  all  this  time 
nobody  questioned  him,  when  usually  one  can't  stir 
without  a  challenge).  He  walked  on  board,  sat 
down  in  the  coal  hole,  and  remembered  nothing 
more  till  he  was  walking  up  the  stairs  here. 

Dr.  Bellangee  and  I  were  both  sitting  down  after 
having  dressed  the  wounds,  hearing  the  news  read ; 
the  papers  had  just  been  brought  in  when  he  opened 
the  door.  I  saw  this  poor,  dusty  fellow  all  covered 
with  powder  and  blood,  all  bent,  leaning  on  a  stick 
and  looking  so  old;  I  never  dreamed  it  was  W., 
nor  did  any  one,  till  he  said,  "  Well,  they  've 
plugged  me  again."  We  all  rushed  round  him, 


I  oo     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

and  every  one  burst  into  tears,  —  even  the  doctor 
could  not  command  himself.  W.  just  fell  on  the 
nearest  bed,  and  the  tears  gushed  out.  He  said 
so  piteously,  "  I  'm  here  at  last."  I  can't  tell  you 
what  we  felt.  In  a  moment  the  room  was  full,  — 
clerks,  doctors,  everybody  who  could  hobble  came 
in.  His  eyes  looked  frightfully  dilated  and  star 
ing,  and  he  was  frothing  at  the  mouth  as  if  crazy. 
After  we  recovered  a  little  from  our  shock  the 
doctor  took  him  to  a  room  by  himself,  examined 
his  wound,  and  forbade  his  speaking  or  being 
spoken  to,  even  by  me.  The  room  was  made  per 
fectly  dark,  and  there  the  dear  fellow  has  lain  ever 
since,  just  between  life  and  death.  Yesterday  noon 
his  eyes  contracted,  and  he  began  to  show  symp 
toms  more  favorable. 

Dr.  B.  says  he  cannot  understand  how  he  ever 
got  here  in  the  state  he  was  in;  he  never  knew 
such  an  instance  of  will  overcoming  bodily  suffer 
ing.  He  thinks  now  the  skull  is  not  fractured ; 
only  that  the  brain  is  shocked,  and  that  with  care 
ful  nursing  he  will  soon  be  well.  You  can  judge 
a  little  how  weak  he  is,  as  he  is  allowed  only  one 
cracker  and  a  tumbler  of  milk  a  day.  It  is  a 
frightful  responsibility,  for  the  doctor  says  it  all 
depends  on  me  now;  that  one  over- feeding  will 
kill  him.  I  have  written  you  a  long  chapter  on  W. ; 
but  he  is  our  only  wounded  one  yet  from  the  grand 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      i  o  i 

fight.  You  will  be  surprised  we  are  so;  every 
moment  we  have  been  expecting  the  wounded,  but 
all  the  boats  go  by  to  Washington.  I  'm  so  sorry ; 
I  long  to  have  them  to  care  for ;  but  I  won't  begin 
to  make  comments.  I  am  so  harassed  by  the  thou 
sand  rumors,  I  mean  to  hear  or  believe  nothing 
till  I  know  for  certain. 

I  think  I  told  you  about  the  fuss  we  had  with 
Dr.  Page,  H.,  etc.,  about  some  things  the  Sanitary 
Committee  sent  to  Mrs.  B.,  —  an  elegant  lot  for 
the  expected  wounded.  When  she  at  last  got 
them,  those  miserable  toads  had  eaten  and  drank 
everything  but  twelve  cans  of  milk.  Twenty-five 
pounds  of  sugar,  twelve  bottles  of  pickles,  twelve 
bottles  of  cordial,  and  some  other  things  had  all 
been  confiscated  by  them  for  their  own  use.  Is  n't 
it  a  shame?  Just  look  how  the  people  at  home 
are  cheated  and  duped!  I  wonder  anybody  there 
ever  trusts  any  one  concerned  in  the  war. 


OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY 

OF 


CHAPTER    V 

AS  already  stated,  in  July  of  1863  Mrs. 
von  Olnhausen  was  furloughed  because 
of  illness.  Returning  to  Lexington  for  a 
month  or  more,  in  September  she  again  reported 
for  duty.  A  few  pages  (the  last  she  wrote)  of 
her  Autobiography  will  best  sum  up  this  period 
and  the  changes  in  her  duties  which  it  brought 
about.  The  letters  which  follow  the  Autobiog 
raphy  cover  her  experiences  during  the  remaining 
months  of  1863  in  a  new  field  of  work,  —  the 
just  established  hospital  at  Morehead  City,  North 
Carolina. 

Although  it  is  unsafe  to  criticise  without  full 
knowledge  of  the  facts  and  conditions,  it  would 
seem  to  have  been  more  appropriate  to  send  a 
woman  of  such  enthusiasm  for  surgical  nursing, 
of  such  personal  courage,  and  of  such  physical 
vigor,  to  the  front  rather  than  to  a  hospital  then 
so  remote  from  hostilities,  and  in  which  medical 
cases  were  almost  certain  to  preponderate.  Mrs. 
von  Olnhausen  always  was  restive  in  Morehead 
City,  and  never  was  persuaded  that  she  might  not 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      103 

have  done  far  more  for  the  soldiers  had  she  been 
sent  to  a  field  hospital,  or  at  least  to  one  close  to 
the  seat  of  war,  where  she  could  have  devoted 
herself  wholly  to  the  care  of  severe  wounds  and 
capital  operations.  Miss  Dix  was  doubtless  greatly 
influenced  by  the  wishes  of  Dr.  Bellangee,  who 
naturally  desired  to  retain  so  reliable  a  nurse  and 
so  devoted  a  friend  in  this  Morehead  hospital, 
which  he  himself  had  organized. 

\From  the  Autobiography^ 

There  was  at  this  time  an  epidemic  of  dysentery 
all  through  the  hospital,  and  at  last  I  was  taken 
sick  with  it,  and  remained  many  days  half  con 
scious.  All  the  nurses  declared  they  were  too  busy 
to  attend  to  me,  so  I  lay  alone  most  of  the  time. 
In  the  mean  time  the  house  surgeon  attended  me 
very  carefully,  and  ordered  a  convalescent  to  sit 
in  the  room  and  supply  my  wants.  He  was  the 
funniest  little  man  I  ever  saw,  —  a  shoe-maker 
who  got  a  big  bounty  as  substitute,  but  whose  legs 
were  so  short  that  he  kept  falling  out  of  the  ranks. 
He  finally  got  sick,  and  was  sent  here.  He  had 
big,  round  blue  eyes,  and  in  my  half-delirium  they 
looked  as  large  as  a  cup.  He  was  a  German,  and 
never  took  those  eyes  off  me.  He  sat  by  the  door 
from  morning  till  night,  never  moving  except  to 
eat  his  meals.  At  last  my  friends  came,  and  as 


1 04     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

soon  as  I  could  be  moved  I  was  taken  home  on 
leave  of  absence. 

After  all  the  turmoil  of  that  life  it  was  so  de 
lightful  to  be  quiet;  but  I  soon  began  to  recover, 
and  in  a  month  started  back  to  Alexandria.  When 
I  got  there,  everything  seemed  different,  as  most 
of  the  nurses  had  been  discharged  and  nearly  all 
the  doctors  changed.  I  found  two-  letters  awaiting 
me.  One  was  from  my  old  house  surgeon,  Dr.  S., 
asking  me  to  come  to  him  at  Chattanooga  and  take 
charge  of  a  large  hospital  with  a  friend  of  mine. 
The  other  was  from  my  old  ward  surgeon,  Dr. 
Bellangee,  who  was  now  in  charge  of  a  large  hos 
pital  at  Morehead  City,  N.  C,  asking  me,  and  also 
the  same  friend,  to  come  there.  We  decided  to 
take  the  latter  place.  We  had  a  tiresome  passage 
from  New  York  to  New  Berne,  and  were  glad  to 
get  on  shore.  New  Berne  seemed  pleasant,  and  I 
would  gladly  have  stayed  there ;  but  Dr.  Bellangee 
was  waiting  to  take  us  at  once  to  Morehead  City, 
where  his  hospital  was  established.  He  had  done 
wonders  in  the  short  time  he  had  been  there. 
Eight  barracks  had  been  built,  each  containing 
about  seventy-five  beds,  some  of  them  already  fitted 
up.  This  was  certainly  the  best  hospital  I  saw  in 
the  war.  We  had  an  excellent  steward  who  pro 
vided  most  liberally,  and  we  had  everything  the 
sick  and  wounded  could  ask  for.  Dr.  Bellangee 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      105 

was  a  martinet  about  the  hospital,  seeming  to  be 
always  everywhere.  His  skill  in  surgery  was 
wonderful,  and  his  care  unceasing. 

Morehead  "  City  "  was  made  up  of  about  ten 
houses,  and  was  the  terminus  of  the  railroad,  so 
transportation  for  the  wounded  from  New  Berne 
was  easy.  There  were  at  first  very  few  patients, 
and  I  feared  we  should  have  too  little  work;  but 
they  began  to  send  us  patients  from  the  over-filled 
hospitals  in  New  Berne,  and  there  were  some  skir 
mishes  between  the  pickets  around  us,  so  we  soon 
had  no  cause  to  complain.  At  first  we  had  an 
assistant  surgeon  (so  called)  who  was  very  tena 
cious  of  his  rights,  and  once  threatened  me  with 
discharge  because  in  the  middle  of  the  night  I 
applied  a  mustard  draft,  without  consulting  him, 
to  a  man  who  had  colic.  He  said  it  was  a  surgical 
operation,  and  that  I  had  no  business  to  perform 
it.  Dr.  Bellangee,  when  complained  to  next  morn 
ing,  laughed  quietly,  wrote  out  a  permission  for 
me  to  use  mustard  if  very  necessary,  read  it  to  the 
surgeon,  and  sent  it  to  me  by  his  orderly.  After 
that  I  could  have  covered  the  men  with  plaisters 
if  I  had  chosen. 

After  the  corruption  and  constant  fusses  of  the 
Mansion  House,  ruled  by  unscrupulous  cooks  and 
a  more  unscrupulous  steward,  one  can't  describe 
the  peace  of  this  hospital.  One  thing  was  rather 


1 06     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

strange  in  Morehead  City;  not  until  the  last  few 
months  of  the  war  did  the  Sanitary  Commission 
ever  reach  us.  It  was  impossible  to  get  any  liquors 
or  any  delicacies  except  such  as  were  sent  me  from 
Lexington.  Those  friends,  I  am  thankful  to  say, 
never  failed  me.  I  am  sure  none  of  the  men  who 
knew  me  will  ever  forget  Lexington,  though  they 
will  have  long  ago  forgotten  me,  for  my  foreign 
name  was  too  hard  to  remember.  I  was  always 
called  Madam,  or  Mrs.  O.,  or  Mrs.  Von;  some 
times  they  twisted  the  O  into  all  sorts  of  words. 
My  little  Reb,  when  he  wrote  me,  called  me 
"  dear  Mrs.  Woe,"  and  some  have  written  to  the 
care  of  the  Lexington  Post-Office,  directed  to 
Mrs.  Zaugh  or  Mrs.  Owe. 

It  was  singular  how  one  could  detect  the  nation 
ality  of  a  man,  however  poor  English  he  might 
speak,  by  the  way  he  bore  suffering.  Our  men 
(I  mean  Americans)  were  impressible;  the  mo 
ment  they  were  housed  they  were  so  cheerful  and 
determined  to  get  well  that  they  usually  did  from 
sheer  grit,  however  badly  wounded.  The  Ger 
mans,  though  equally  plucky  in  bearing  pain,  lay 
back  with  such  a  resigned  manner,  a  sort  of  "  As 
God  wills "  air.  An  Irishman  complained  of 
everything,  and  a  Frenchman  was  the  hardest  to 
please  of  all ;  he  was  always  worse  hurt  and  more 
wounded  than  any  other.  Our  Yankees  were 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      1 07 

always  ready  to  help  and  amuse  others  when  them 
selves  suffering  ever  so  much,  and  it  was  every 
where  remarked  how  much  more  quickly  they  got 
well.  The  poor  Rebels  were  so  discontented  at 
finding  themselves  prisoners  and  wounded,  and 
had  been  so  badly  fed,  that  their  wounds  were  the 
hardest  of  all  to  heal,  and  it  was  some  time  before 
one  could  make  them  hopeful  for  the  future.  They 
believed,  too,  that  if  cured  they  would  be  sent  to 
Northern  prisons  and  treated  as  our  men  had 
been  by  them.  While  in  the  ward  I  treated  and 
tended  all  alike,  much  to  the  disgust  of  some  who 
looked  on. 

In  view  of  some  of  the  references  to  her  Seces 
sion  patients  in  Mrs.  von  Olnhausen's  earlier  let 
ters,  it  may  seem  that  this  last  statement  is  rather 
too  complacent.  Her  friends,  however,  will  ap 
preciate  that  however  she  might  rail  at  these 
Rebels,  her  humanity  was  too  deep  to  permit  of 
her  neglecting  them  in  the  slightest  degree. 

The  following  letter,  descriptive  of  her  return 
journey  to  Washington,  shows  how  ready  she  was 
to  extract  entertainment  from  the  most  untoward 
circumstances. 

ALEXANDRIA,  Sept.  4,  '63,  Friday. 

I  arrived  here  yesterday  morning.  Had  time 
in  Washington  to  fly  to  Miss  Dix  and  report,  and 


io8     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

get  the  boat;  and  thought  I  should  write  at  once; 
but  Mrs.  B.  wanted  me  to  go  right  back  to  Wash 
ington  with  her,  so  I  was  too  tired  when  I  got 
home  to  think  of  anything;  but  I  will  begin  at 
the  beginning. 

All  F.'s  notes  and  telegrams  did  not  one  bit  of 
good.  I  had  a  lonely  ride  from  Boston  to  the 
[Fall  River]  boat;  but  the  last  part  of  the  route 
a  pleasant  woman  from  Ohio  sat  with  me  and 
offered  her  husband's  services.  I  told  her,  how 
ever,  the  conductor  would  attend  to  me.  He  went 
on  board  and  was  most  polite,  but  could  not  find 
F.'s  friend;  so  I  went  into  the  cabin,  and  that's 
the  last  I  saw  of  anybody.  I  waited  till  nine 
before  I  gave  up.  I  don't  know  how  many  times 
I  sent,  and  finally  word  came  that  all  state-rooms 
had  been  engaged  for  two  weeks  to  come ;  so  then 
I  began  to  hunt  for  a  sleeping  place.  By  great 
persuasion  I  got  one  on  the  floor,  close  by  the  gang 
way.  Such  a  crowd  you  never  saw.  One  hundred 
and  fifty  women  and  babies  got  on  at  Newport, 
and  every  one  was  sick;  the  sea  was  very  rough, 
and  even  the  poor  little  babies  were  as  sick  as  their 
mothers.  One  woman,  a  lady,  too,  had  five  chil 
dren,  one  a  baby;  they  all  were  so  sick,  she  just 
laid  the  baby  on  the  floor  and  left  it.  I  took  it 
up  and  held  it  till  it  slept,  and  then  laid  it  on 
the  foot  of  some  one's  bed.  You  never  saw  such 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      109 

a  sight;  every  one  who  came  in  or  out  stepped 
over  me. 

We  had  such  a  jolly  old  stewardess.  A  waiter 
from  upstairs  came  down  in  the  middle  of  the 
night  and  wanted  Mrs.  F. ;  said  that  her  husband 
was  sick  as  death,  and  she  must  come  right  away. 
The  stewardess  called  out  for  Mrs.  F. ;  nobody 
answered.  "  How  can  I  find  her?  "  she  said.  He 
went  and  came  back,  saying,  "  Mr.  F.  says  you 
can  find  her  in  a  berth  in  the  back  part;  you  will 
know  her  by  a  great  pimple  she  has.  I  disremem- 
ber  where  he  said  it  was."  "  How  can  I  find  out 
Mrs.  F.  and  her  pimple?  You  go  back  and  tell 
Mr.  F.  if  he  wants  Mrs.  F.  and  her  pimple  he 
can  come  and  hunt  her  up ;  I  've  got  business 
enough  of  my  own  to  attend  to."  The  man  went 
off,  and  just  then  Mrs.  F.  appeared  in  full  undress, 
very  sick,  and  tugging  a  very  sick  baby.  Stew 
ardess  and  I  were  glad  to  have  our  curiosity 
relieved  with  regard  to  the  whereabouts  of  that 
pimple;  it  was  on  one  side  of  her  forehead  and 
might  modestly  be  called  a  horn,  it  stuck  out  so 
far.  She  sent  word  to  Mr.  F.  that  she  and  baby 
were  too  sick  to  live,  and  he  must  come  right  to 
her.  No  Mr.  F.  appeared,  and  she  and  her  pimple 
retired  for  the  night. 

Another  woman  kept  calling,  "  Oh,  stewardess, 
do  come  help  me,  I  am  so  sea-sick."  She  was 


l  io     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

flying  around  making  beds,  and  said,  "  Every  one 
must  do  their  own  sea-sickness ;  I  've  got  a  hun 
dred  and  fifty  beds  to  make,  and  that's  as  much 
as  I  can  do  without  doing  your  sea-sickness." 
Four  women  were  sitting  together,  and  all  so  sick ; 
she  brought  one  basin  and  said,  "  There,  you  must 
all  be  sick  in  that,  I  have  not  half  enough  to  go 
round."  Altogether,  it  was  a  very  funny  night. 

We  were  delayed  by  the  fog,  and  it  was  eight 
before  we  got  in.  I  gave  my  checks  to  the  express 
man,  and  then  had  to  wait  till  eleven  before  I 
could  get  my  trunks.  The  ride  to  and  through 
Philadelphia  was  as  dreary  as  anything  could  well 
be.  I  sat  beside  a  copperhead  who  made  me 
furious,  so  I  tried  to  go  to  sleep.  I  think  the 
horse-car  arrangement  through  Philadelphia  is 
too  mean  for  anything.  I  never  was  so  sleepy 
and  so  cold. 

At  twelve  I  got  into  the  night  car,  and  might 
have  had  a  good  sleep  except  for  an  English 
cockney  girl  who  "set  up  for  shapes"  and  could  n't 
go  to  bed  because  a  man  was  sleeping  in  the  same 
car.  "  Mama,  'ow  can  I  go  to  bed  when  there 
is  a  man  here?"  "Well,  dear,  he  has  a  right 
here."  "  But,  Mama,  what  'orrid  customs !  You 
see,  ladies,  I  have  only  just  crossed  the  water,  and 
it 's  so  'ard  to  get  used  to  the  customs,  we  think 
it 's  so  hawful  to  sleep  with  a  man  in  the  room." 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      1 1 1 

It  turned  out  afterwards  she  had  lived  here  all  her 
life  and  had  been  to  England  only  on  a  visit.  The 
man  lay  and  laughed  loud  as  he  could.  She  opened 
her  sack  and  asked  Mama  "  which  wine  she  would 
'ave,  port  or  sherry."  She  took  a  big  horn,  and 
then  regularly  undressed,  for  all  her  scruples,  right 
in  the  alley,  and  finally  looked  into  this  man's  berth 
and  said,  "  'Ow  can  you  sleep  with  the  curtains 
so  close,  no  hair  ?  I  must  have  mine  open  and  the 
port  side  door  too ; "  at  first  she  had  insisted  on 
pinning  his  together  herself.  All  this  while  a 
funny  man  was,  with  many  inducements,  persuad 
ing  her  to  sleep  in  the  car ;  her  modesty  seemed  to 
vanish  with  him.  She  talked  for  two  hours,  and 
then  my  bunk  broke  down  and  I  came  near  mash 
ing  her  to  death;  the  fright  silenced  her,  and  I 
got  another  bunk  and  finally  slept. 

Miss  Dix  was  glad  to  see  me,  and  is  decidedly 
of  the  opinion  that  I  must  go  to  New  Berne.  I 
have  seen  a  plan  of  the  hospital  and  it  is  splendid 
there,  with  many  wounded  men  who  need  a  sur 
gical  nurse ;  but  when  I  got  here  Dr.  Page  was  so 
glad  to  see  me,  and  said  he  wanted  me  so  much 
that  I  don't  know  what  to  do.  I  shall  let  Miss  Dix 
decide  when  she  comes  this  afternoon.  The  Man 
sion  House  is  dreary  enough;  I  don't  believe  I 
can  stay  here. 

We  have  got  into  a  fine  scrape  with  our  mess. 


1 1 2     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

H.  (we  think  it  was  he)  has  sued  the  butcher  (I 
mean  Government,  through  his  information)  and 
fined  him  (the  butcher)  fifty  dollars,  which  he 
had  to  pay.  Of  course,  Mrs.  B.  appealed,  and  the 
trial  has  been  going  on  for  a  week,  till  to-day  it 's 
decided  against  us.  Now  we  have  fifty  dollars 
to  pay  and,  besides,  lose  thirty  dollars'  worth  of 
meat  which  they  have  confiscated  because,  owing 
to  the  fuss,  it  was  left  over  till  this  month.  All  the 
nurses  except  Mrs.  W.  and  us  two  refuse  to  pay 
their  part;  so  we  do  it  alone.  Mrs.  B.  has  ad 
vanced  me  the  money  till  pay-day  comes.  Miss 
Dix  says  she  will  take  it  to  higher  authority, 
and  Dr.  Page  says  that  after  we  had  drawn  the 
meat,  we  had  a  right  to  do  what  we  liked  with 
it.  I  know  there  is  no  right  or  justice  in  it; 
but  what  are  we  to  do?  So  now  we  are  back 
on  bread  and  beef;  the  only  thing  is  we  have 
enough  of  these ;  but,  oh,  it 's  hard  living  after 
home  fare.  There  can  never  be  an  end  to  fusses 
in  the  Mansion  House. 

TRANSPORT  SHIP,  PIER  12, 
NEW  YORK,  Tuesday  [September  8,  1863]. 

Were  I  to  write  all  my  adventures  since  my 
last  letter  to  you,  I  would  have  to  write  a  longer 
one  than  you  would  care  to  read.  I  saw  Miss  Dix 
after  I  wrote,  and  she  decided  I  must  go  to  New 
Berne  anyway ;  so  I  had  to  tell  Dr.  Page.  I  hated 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      113 

to  tell  him  and  the  Chaplain,  for  they  have  both 
been  such  good  friends  to  me.  Dr.  Page  asked 
me  to  stay;  but  I  told  him  it  was  impossible;  I 
could  not  remain  where  H.  (the  Steward)  was. 
Then  he  asked  me  would  I  come  back  to  him 
when  he  had  a  hospital  without  H.  He  wanted 
me  to  promise  that  I  would;  so  I  did,  and  the 
last  thing  he  said  at  parting  was  that  I  must 
keep  my  promise.  After  I  went  out,  Dr.  B.  re 
ports  that  he  said,  "  There  goes  the  best  and 
truest  woman  I've  met  in  the  service;  I  like 
every  inch  of  her." 

Miss  Dix  said  we  would  have  to  leave  about 
Wednesday;  so  Saturday  I  went  to  Washington 
to  see  Mr.  U.,  the  beetle  man.  I  did  all  my  pack 
ing  that  evening,  and  Sunday,  at  three,  we  left 
the  Mansion  House,  for  a  while  I  hope.  But  now 
hear  the  worst  of  it !  Just  as  we  were  getting  into 
the  ambulance  came  an  order  for  our  arrest  and 
search !  There  's  a  sister  for  you !  That  devil  H. 
sent  information  to  Dr.  Page,  who  was  out  of 
town,  that  we  were  removing  large  quantities  of 
hospital  stores,  and  so  he  ordered  the  officer  of 
the  day  to  arrest,  etc. !  Dr.  Barnes  happened  to  be 
the  man.  He  came  right  to  Mrs.  B.  and  told  her 
that  rather  than  do  it  he  would  be  "  broke  of  the 
service."  He  sent  off  for  the  Chaplain,  who  came 
in  furious.  Now  the  only  stores  we  took  with  us 

8 


1 14     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

at  all  were  a  box  he  gave  us,  which  had  for  a  long 
time  stood  in  the  store-room,  but  had  never  been 
unpacked,  and  those  things  I  brought  from  home. 
I  found  it  would  cost  too  much  to  bring  anything 
more.  Mrs.  B.  did  not  tell  me,  so  I  did  not  under 
stand  at  all  the  fuss.  If  I  had  I  never  would  have 
left  so.  I  would  have  insisted  on  an  examination 
and  have  brought  H.  to  grief.  The  first  I  knew 
of  it  was  when  we  were  half-way  to  Baltimore. 
I  don't  blame  Dr.  Page  at  all.  Mrs.  B.  is  furious 
with  him;  but  of  course  he  knew  nothing  of  the 
truth,  and  had  to  act  as  he  did.  I  am  prepared 
for  anything  now!  All  the  clerks  and  stewards 
were  around  to  see  the  fun,  and  must  have  been 
much  disappointed. 

Such  a  ride  to  Washington  as  we  had  was  never 
known;  the  road  was  crowded  with  soldiers  and 
horses,  everything  moving,  —  all  showing  a  battle 
is  soon  to  come,  I  think.  The  dust  was  so  thick 
we  had  to  stop  for  it,  and  some  of  the  horses  even 
fell  down  the  embankments.  Then  came  up  a 
frightful  storm  and  nearly  drowned  us.  When 
we  got  to  Washington  there  was  no  sleeping-car, 
not  even  a  hook  to  hang  our  things  on.  It  was 
such  a  long,  sleepy  ride,  ending  in  that  horrid 
horse-car  arrangement  through  Philadelphia.  It 
was  very  early  morning  when  we  got  here,  and 
we  could  not  see  the  proper  authorities  till  ten,  so 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      1 1 5 

we  went  "bumming"  around  to  find  a  breakfast. 
How  forlorn  a  city  is  early  in  the  morning. 

The  captain  said  we  might  come  on  board  to 
night,  though  he  should  not  sail  till  some  time 
to-morrow.  So  we  came  with  our  traps  this 
evening.  Could  you  see  us !  Such  a  dirty  vessel, 
a  half-and-half,  sometimes  steams  and  sometimes 
sails,  —  both  poorly,  I  guess.  I  wish  you  could  see 
the  cockroaches,  too;  there  never  was  the  like 
before,  I  think;  everything  is  covered  with  them, 
and  everything  black  with  smoke.  I  think,  too, 
every  one  is  drunk  on  board ;  which  does  not  make 
it  any  too  comfortable.  When  one  goes  nursing, 
all  things  must  be  expected.  The  captain  says  if 
the  weather  is  good  we  shall  be  there  in  three  days. 
I  am  glad  to  go  to  sea  at  last,  but  somehow  I  feel 
so  strange;  I  seem  to  be  drifting  about  without 
any  will  of  my  own.  Miss  S.  would  have  a  nice 
chance  to  talk  "  Heavenly  Fatherish  " ! 

NEW  BERNE,1  N.  C.,  Sunday  evening  [September  13,  1863]. 

We  are  so  far  safe  on  our  journey,  as  you  will 
be  glad  to  learn.  We  have  still  thirty  miles  farther 
to  go,  and  shall  then,  I  hope,  find  friends  and  a 
comfortable  home  for  a  while  at  least.  Dr.  Bel- 
langee's  hospital  is  at  Morehead  City,  instead  of 

1  Spelling  adopted  in  official  reports ;  but  elsewhere  one  finds 
also  Newberne  and  Newbern. 


1 1 6     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

here,  and  it 's  been  such  a  bother  to  get  things 
straightened  out.  We  leave  here  in  the  morning 
at  nine,  so  in  my  next  I  shall  be  able  to  tell  you 
all  about  it.  That  night  I  wrote  you  from  New 
York  I  did  not  dare  tell  you  how  homesick  I 
already  felt.  I  think  you  would  have  been  hardly 
willing  for  me  to  go  if  you  could  have  seen  me  in 
that  dirty,  miserable  ship.  I  did  not  dare  think 
of  home,  or  that  it  was  only  a  week  since  I  had 
left  you  all;  it  seemed  a  month  by  that  time.  I 
can't  describe  that  ship,  no  words  can;  if  there 
was  one  redeeming  thing  about  it,  I  would  tell  it. 
It  was  owned  by  Jersey  people;  every  one  from 
cook  up  was  hail-fellow,  nobody  saw  to  anything, 
the  cabin  was  never  cleaned  while  we  were  on 
board,  and  as  to  the  other  places,  you  can  have  no 
idea  of  the  filth.  How  I  ever  could  be  brought 
to  sleep  in  that  berth  amazes  me  now;  it  was 
frightful.  Of  course  I  passed  all  my  time,  except 
the  few  hours  I  did  sleep,  entirely  alone  on  deck; 
for  Mrs.  B.  was  sick  from  the  time  we  started,  and 
nobody  was  even  civil.  There  were  lots  of  officers 
on  board,  everybody  drank,  and  all  were  sick  a 
good  part  of  the  way,  except  Colonel  C.  and 
myself.  The  first  night  was  pretty  frightful;  the 
old  tub  rolled  badly  enough.  We  were  about 
thirty  miles  below  Navesink  lights  when  a  storm 
came  on,  and  the  captain  had  to  run  back  to  Sandy 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      1 1 7 

Hook,  where  we  lay  till  next  day  at  ten.     My! 
were  n't  the  people  sick ! 

Yesterday  morning  we  got  to  Cape  Hatteras, 
where  we  lay  all  day.  I  went  ashore  in  the  tug 
and  wandered  about  as  I  liked.  There  are  two 
forts  there,  garrisoned  with  North  Carolina 
troops;  they  don't  look  like  our  Northern  sol 
diers;  but  such  a  beach  and  such  waves  I  never 
saw,  —  miles  of  it,  and  the  breakers  are  fearful. 
The  beach,  though  so  beautiful,  is  very  danger 
ous,  being  full  of  quicksands.  At  noon  Ensign 
Livermore  of  the  gunboat  stationed  there  came  with 
his  gig  and  invited  Mrs.  B.  and  me  to  dine  with 
him;  he  is  a  Massachusetts  man  and  was  most 
polite.  The  captain  of  the  tug,  too,  invited  us 
to  dine  with  him;  so  we  had  no  lack  of  attention. 
The  fact  is  women  are  so  scarce  they  are  appreci 
ated.  Then,  I  expect,  on  the  ship  the  men  were 
mostly  young  and  thought  we  were  two  old  cats 
and  of  no  account ;  but  since  I  came  ashore  I  find 
they  all  thought  I  was  Secesh  and  going  over  the 
lines.  I  remember  two  or  three  asked  me  if  I  was. 
I  answered  no ;  but  as  B.  used  to  say,  "  did  not 
feel  like  talking,"  so  did  not  enlighten  them.  I 
would  have  been  furious  if  I  had  thought  they 
took  me  for  a  Reb.  We  got  in  here  this  morning 
by  daylight.  It  is  such  a  lovely  town,  —  not  the 
streets  or  houses,  I  mean,  but  the  trees,  —  every 


1 1 8     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

street  so  beautifully  shaded,  and  with  such  large 
gardens.  I  wanted  to  go  to  the  fort,  but  a  big  rain 
came,  so  we  have  had  to  stay  in.  I  shall  be  glad 
when  we  are  quiet  and  settled;  a  fortnight  of 
rushing  around  is  as  much  as  I  want  at  a  time. 

MOREHEAD  CITY,  N.  C.,  September  24,  1863. 

I  can't  tell  exactly  what  my  impression  was  in 
getting  here;  it  looked  forlorn  enough.  We  are 
thirty  miles  from  New  Berne,  cars  once  a  day. 
Dr.  Bellangee  received  us  most  kindly;  at  once 
took  us  over  the  grounds,  but  did  not  give  us  our 
places  for  a  couple  of  days,  most  of  which  time  I 
spent  in  the  woods  about  us.  The  open  sea  is 
only  two  miles  away,  and  the  air  is  splendid; 
enough  of  it,  too,  for  it  blows  a  tempest.  All 
is  in  such  an  unfinished  state  yet  here;  but  Doctor 
is  driving  the  men  to  get  them  on.  Six  of  the 
large  barracks  (forty-five  beds  each)  are  com 
pleted,  three  or  four  more  are  to  be  soon  done. 
They  are  not  all  filled  yet,  but  there  is  some  talk  of 
breaking  up  the  New  Berne  hospitals  and  sending 
all  the  sick  here,  which  I  should  think  would  be 
done,  it 's  so  unhealthful  there.  We  have  only 
two  hundred  yet  here;  most  all  are  Massachu 
setts  men,  —  the  Seventeenth,  Twenty-third,  and 
Twenty-fifth ;  and  two  or  three  more  lie  all  around 
here ;  the  Twenty-eighth,  too,  is  in  New  Berne.  It 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      1 1 9 

seems  good  to  have  Massachusetts  men  sick;  but 
most  all  are  too  well  to  be  interesting.  Night 
before  last,  about  one,  a  train  came  down  express ; 
next  morning  I  was  told  that  the  Second  Massa 
chusetts  had  come  to  garrison  a  fort  near  here.  I 
tell  you  it  made  my  heart  beat;  but  I  soon  found 
it  was  the  Second  Artillery.  It 's  only  been  from 
home  five  weeks,  and  already  so  many  are  sick 
with  chills.  I  have  three  of  them  very  ill  with 
fever. 

I  told  you  I  was  too  mad  last  Sunday  to  write; 
the  reason  was  we  had  planned  to  go  on  a  little 
excursion,  —  all  the  mess ;  but  the  Chaplain  made 
a  fuss  and  stopped  it,  and  asked  us  as  a  favor  to 
go  to  church,  at  three.  That  was  bad  enough; 
but  after  we  were  done  there,  and  thoroughly 
shrived,  Dr.  Bellangee  stood  up  and  said  he  would 
excuse  no  one,  and  expected  us  all  to  follow  him 
and  go  to  dress  parade  of  the  Eighty-sixth  (I 
believe),  that  lies  near  us,  and  after  that  attend 
services  there.  I  asked  to  be  excused,  but  he  said 
no.  You  may  think  I  was  mad;  here  we  were 
marched  out  like  so  many  cats,  —  first  the  two 
doctors  (Doctor  has  only  one  assistant)  ;  then  the 
steward;  after  them  we  two;  and  after  us  all 
the  lame,  halt,  and  blind  by  twos  over  this  sand 
for  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  see  the  poorest  drilling 
I  ever  saw  and  hear  the  worst  preaching.  I  got 


1 20     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

so  thoroughly  cross  that  I  could  have  sworn  every 
moment.  To  crown  all  he  would  not  then  excuse 
us,  but  made  us  all  march  back  again.  I  would 
not  speak  another  word  the  whole  evening.  Did 
you  ever  get  that  mad  you  would  not  be  satisfied  ? 
That 's  the  way  I  was ;  I  could  not  even  sleep. 

MOREHEAD  CITY,  September  28  [1863]. 

I  was  so  glad  to  get  your  letter  yesterday,  and 
should  have  answered  it  immediately,  but  was  sick 
in  bed.  I  can't  know  the  cause,  for  I  'm  sure  it 
could  not  be  too  much  eating,  as  in  all  our  poor 
eating  this  beats  all.  I  don't  mean  in  quantity, 
for  I  never  was  in  a  hospital  so  liberally  fed ;  but 
as  I  can't  eat  salt  horse,  and  never  did  like  potatoes 
and  onions,  and,  until  this  week,  we  have  had  to 
buy  all  our  bread,  which  has  been  both  sour  and 
heavy,  I  don't  think  it  was  eating  that  did  it.  I 
felt  weak  as  a  rat  yesterday,  but  am  all  right 
again,  and  such  a  beautiful  day  never  was  seen. 

We  had  a  very  bad  storm  last  night  and  looked 
out  for  wrecks  this  morning,  but  can  see  none. 
The  surf  sounds  so  grand,  and  it 's  just  like  a 
June  day.  So  many  mocking-birds  are  singing, 
and,  as  we  have  had  no  frost  yet,  it 's  beautifully 
green  in  the  woods.  I  believe  I  begin  to  feel  a 
little  less  homesick,  but  am  no  better  contented 
with  my  work,  and  have  fully  determined  not  to 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      1 2 1 

stay  here  long.  As  far  as  the  doctor  goes,  I  could 
not  ask  better ;  he  is  kind  as  can  be,  and  gives  us 
every  privilege;  but  I  really  have  nothing  to  do. 
I  should  die  to  have  so  little  work ;  I  don't  believe 
in  wasting  time  so.  I  am  sure  I  'm  equal  to  better 
things.  I  certainly  did  not  come  into  the  service 
to  play;  and  every  walk  I  take  I  feel  as  if  I  were 
a  real  humbug.  I  have  only  one  man  really  sick, 
and  those  I  've  had  never  stay  sick  more  than  three 
or  four  days ;  as  soon  as  they  breathe  this  fine  air 
they  get  right  up. 

MOREHEAD  CITY,  November  12  [1863]. 
MANSFIELD  HOSPITAL. 

I  first  of  all  must  ask  forgiveness  for  neglecting 
so  long  to  write ;  but  you  see  I  every  day  expected 
Miss  Dix's  answer,  and  then,  though  it  came  three 
or  four  days  ago,  I  felt  so  disappointed  at  its  not 
containing  an  immediate  recall  that  it  put  me  out 
of  heart  for  writing.  Excuses  over,  I  '11  tell  about 
Miss  Dix's  brief  letter,  —  same  old  style :  "  My 
child,  be  patient;  not  one  nurse  in  any  hospital 
has  much  to  do  just  now,  but  you'll  soon  have 
enough  to  do.  I  may  send  you  to  Nashville  or 
Hilton  Head,  circumstances  will  determine  which ! 
In  the  mean  time  do  not  leave  without  authority !  " 
So  I  wait !  Don't  think  I  shall  leave  here  without 
regret,  for  really  I  never  have  had  so  many  friends 
in  any  place. 


122     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

This  climate  is  beautiful;  only  one  frost  yet, 
night  before  last,  and  that  slight;  and  the  sea 
always  so  grand,  and  making  it  so  healthful.  Then 
these  boat  excursions  are  too  jolly;  always  some 
adventure.  Getting  aground  and  having  to  wait 
for  hours  for  the  tide  is  a  common  experience. 
The  people,  too,  are  such  a  different  race  from  any 
I  've  ever  met  before ;  they  beat  Illinois  hollow. 
Here  they  sit  from  morning  till  night  in  their 
cabins,  with  their  snuff  sticks,  chewing,  chewing, 
never  reading;  sometimes  spinning  or  knitting 
a  little;  looking  so  vacant;  living  on  fish  and 
"  Eupon  "  tea.  I  don't  know  how  the  word  is 
spelled,  but  it  sounds  like  that;  it's  an  evergreen 
something  like  myrtle;  they  parch  the  leaves  and 
then  boil  them.  To  me  it  tastes  like  senna.  They 
have  very  little  flour  and  less  cornmeal;  but  the 
everlasting  sweet  potatoes  are  everywhere.  Such 
a  life !  You  can't  make  them  talk.  There  they  sit 
and  chew  or  pipe.  They  need  us.  This  Shackel- 
ford  Island  opposite  us  is  I  don't  know  how  many 
miles  long.  It 's  very  narrow,  never  half  a  mile 
wide.  The  best  house  on  it  an  Irishman  would 
be  ashamed  of.  They  are  all  fishermen,  and  it 's 
said  there  is  not  a  Reb  on  the  whole  island. 

I  am  going  to  give  a  picture  of  one  of  my  days 
and  then  I  '11  have  done.  I  rise  at  reveille  (six). 
I  never  go  into  the  ward  before  breakfast,  so  I 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      123 

have  time  to  bathe  and  dress  at  my  ease.  Break 
fast  about  seven.  From  there  I  go  to  the  cook 
house  to  see  what  the  bill  of  fare  is  for  the  day; 
then  over  here  in  time  for  the  surgeon's  call  at 
eight.  I  go  all  around  with  the  doctor,  do  what 
I  have  to  do  in  this  ward  (Division  i) ;  then,  at 
nine,  Doctor  and  I  go  to  Division  7,  a  big  ward 
for  commissioned  officers  I  have  charge  of.  I 
stay  another  hour  there,  then  over  to  the  cook 
house,  make  my  puddings,  back  to  Division  i  in 
time  for  the  mail  at  eleven,  over  to  the  cook-house 
to  see  that  I  get  the  best  that  is  going  for  my 
trays,  back  again  to  my  wards  to  see  dinner  dis 
tributed,  then  off  to  my  dinner  in  another  direction. 
After  dinner  I  pass  an  hour  or  two  in  this  ward 
(here  are  all  the  sickest  men),  unless  we  go  for 
a  walk.  At  four  I  go  to  the  cook-house  again 
to  see  about  supper,  canter  back  to  give  it  to  them, 
then  canter  off  to  supper.  Evenings  I  generally 
pass  with  Mrs.  B.  Tattoo  at  eight;  but  we  don't 
have  to  mind  that;  ten  is  our  hour  for  breaking 
up.  So  you  can  see  what  every  day  is  when  we 
are  not  off  sailing.  All  this  cantering  round  is 
very  healthy,  as  you  must  know.  I  'm  always  in 
the  open  air. 

I  send  you  this  little  rough  sketch  of  our  hos 
pital  grounds,  so  you  can  see  where  I  live.  It  is 
quite  a  walk  to  the  different  places  I  have  to  visit 


1 24     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

through  the  day.  These  large  barrack  wards  each 
have  forty  beds  and  can  hold  more.  Just  now  there 
is  hardly  an  empty  bed  in  the  whole  hospital,  but 
there  are  no  sick  men  except  in  Division  i,  and 
these  have  only  chronic  diarrhoea;  just  have  to 
have  their  diet  regulated  and  to  lie  in  bed;  they 
need  no  other  care. 

MOREHEAD  CITY,  December  10  [1863]. 

Still  here !  How  much  longer  I  'm  to  write 
from  this  I  don't  know;  and  there  are  thousands 
now  who  need  me.  I  feel  so  discouraged.  I  have 
a  mind  to  cut  Miss  Dix  altogether  and  run  away; 
you  can't  know  how  impatient  I  feel.  She  told 
me  in  her  last  brieflet  to  wait  with  patience 
till  the  sixth,  and  then  she  should  write  again 
and  assign  me  to  another  place.  That  is  why 
I  did  not  write  Sunday;  I  wanted  to  await  her 
letter.  It  has  not  come,  and  I  'm  mad  as  a  pig. 
Really  you  can't  know  how  I  want  to  get  out  of 
this. 

Yesterday  they  brought  me  a  wounded  Rebel, 
not  wounded  by  fighting,  but  in  making  shingles 
or  something.  He  cut  his  hand  fearfully,  and 
the  artery  was  entirely  severed ;  it  keeps  bleeding, 
so  he  has  to  be  watched  day  and  night.  It 's 
pretty  tedious  to  have  to  sit  all  day  looking  at  the 
very  dirtiest  paw  you  ever  saw.  He  is  so  fright- 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      125 

ened  about  himself.  This  and  the  nigger  who  was 
shot,  all  for  love,  are  the  only  wounds  I  've  had 
to  dress,  so  I  am  forgetting  all  I  knew. 

MOREHEAD  CITY,  December  [1863]. 

The  whole  hospital  has  been  in  such  a  state  of 
consternation  and  trustification  the  last  ten  days 
it 's  been  impossible  to  write  or  do  anything  one 
ought  to.  News  came  at  that  time  that  this  hos 
pital  was  to  be  broken  up  and  all  scattered  to  the 
winds.  Nobody  knew  for  why,  only  that  it  was 
to  be  done.  I  was  sure  then  of  leaving,  expecting 
perhaps  to  have  to  go  home,  when  Miss  Dix  did 
not  order  me  somewhere;  but  Thursday  night, 
about  six,  the  Inspectors  arrived.  We  were  not 
expecting  them,  and  had  made  no  preparations. 
Dr.  Bellangee  suggested  waiting  till  daylight;  but 
they  thought  to  catch  us,  and  started  about  eight 
with  lanterns,  blundering  round,  waking  up  the 
sick  men,  and  poking  into  everything.  There  were 
six  of  them.  Next  morning  they  started  early, 
without  Dr.  Bellangee,  and  went  over  all  again. 
When  they  left  the  doctor,  they  said  it  was  inevi 
table  that  the  hospital  be  closed;  the  orders  were 
peremptory  from  General  Butler  (who  had  never 
seen  the  house  anyway).  When  they  got  back  to 

headquarters,  Dr.  McC.  said  "  he  was if  it 

should  be  closed ;  it  was  the  best  regulated  hospital 


i  26      Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

he  ever  saw,  —  everything  was  as  near  perfect  as 
could  be."  Dr.  Bellangee  was  radiant,  for  he  did 
not  know  where  they  would  send  him  to,  and  was 
so  nicely  fixed  here.  The  weather  is  beautiful, 
like  spring;  we  still  go  boating  and  rowing. 


CHAPTER   VI 

DESPITE  her  continued  pleadings  to  be 
sent  to  the  front,  Mary  von  Olnhausen 
remained  at  Morehead  City  throughout 
the  greater  part  of  1864.  Her  impatience  at  inac 
tion  was  very  great  during  the  early  months  of  that 
year;  but  the  numbers  of  sick  and  wounded  grad 
ually  increased ;  a  large  influx  of  refugee  "  poor 
whites  "  gave  scope  for  her  extraordinary  loving- 
kindness;  and,  in  the  fall,  came  an  enemy  worse 
than  the  Rebels  —  yellow  fever  —  for  her  to  do 
battle  with,  especially  in  trying  to  rescue  from  its 
grim  clutches  her  beloved  Dr.  Bellangee.  Her 
devotion  and  skill  could  not,  however,  save  him; 
and  soon  after  his  death,  worn  out  in  body  and 
mind,  she  herself  contracted  the  disease  and  lay 
for  many  days  critically  ill.  Her  care  for  others 
was  requited  by  the  tender  nursing  which  at  this 
time  she  herself  received;  and  as  soon  as  it  was 
possible  she  was  taken  North  to  that  Lexington 
which  she  always  looked  upon  as  her  haven  of 
refuge.  The  following  letters  cover  these  nine 
months  of  impatience,  of  ever-increasing  work 


128      Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

and  responsibility,  and,  finally,  of  the  great  sorrow 
which  came  in  the  death  of  her  dear  chief. 


January  I  [1864],  12  A.  M.,  Friday  morning. 

Happy  New  Year,  and  many  kisses  to  all  at 
home! 

I  was  going  to  have  such  a  good  time  writing 
and  watching  the  Old  Year  out,  as  I  have  done 
for  many  years,  and  singing  my  one  hymn,  when, 
just  as  I  had  got  a  letter  written  to  C.,  came 
in  Captain  C.,  wet  through  to  the  skin,  cold  as 
the  iciest  of  ice,  hungry  like  a  wolf,  and,  more 
than  all,  with  a  badly  sprained  ankle  (I  'm  hanged 
if  I  know  how  to  spell  that  last  word  —  is  it  k 
or  c?).  Of  course,  I  had  to  leave  all  and  attend 
to  him,  and  so  at  twelve,  instead  of  having  written 
you  a  good,  cheerful  letter,  as  I  should  have  done, 
I  was  suaging  (N.  C.  dialect)  his  swollen  limb 
(can't  venture  that  other  word  again),  and  only 
had  time  to  begin  this  and  sing  my  hime. 

Now  to-day  I  'm  all  down  in  the  bluest  depths, 
cross  or  something,  and  impatient,  forgetting  in 
my  wilful  wickedness  that  the  good  God  has  given 
me  anything  this  past  year  to  be  thankful  for, 
even  in  this  sterile  spot,  and  only  remembering 
friends  and  joys  that  I  can't  reach,  and  looking 
gloomily  backward  instead  of  hopefully  and  joy 
fully  forward  as  a  good,  pious  Christian  ought  to 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      129 

do  and  does.  I  'm  sure  I  would  be  pious  if  I  could, 
but  I  've  tried  and  tried  and  can't  catch  the  spirit ; 
either  I  don't  know  how,  or  the  Lord  won't  help 
me;  "I  'se  so  wicked,  'pears  like."  Anyway  I  'm 
not  always  so  desponding,  thank  fortune,  and  am 
sometimes  singing  praises  all  day  long.  Good 
Lord,  deliver  me  from  this  slough ;  I  'm  in  it  fairly 
up  to  the  chin. 

To  read  the  following  letter,  and  to  remember 
that  the  writer  of  it  was  then  nearly  fifty  years 
old,  is  to  gain  some  idea  of  the  abounding  energy 
of  this  "  second-best  belle." 

MOREHEAD  CITY  (as  usual),  January  3,  1864. 
I  am  so  discouraged  about  writing,  I  have  no 
heart  to.  First  of  all,  now  let  me  darn  my  com- 
mander-in-chief.  Here  she  will  keep  me  for  the 
rest  of  my  life,  I  suppose.  She  wrote  to  Dr.  Bel- 
langee  to  ask  if  he  was  satisfied  with  his  nurses 
and  could  make  them  useful.  Dr.  B.  of  course 
wrote,  yes ;  and  so  I  'm  to  remain.  I  feel  so  dis 
heartened,  I  can't  get  over  it.  To  be  sure,  just 
now  we  have  two  very  bad  typhoid  cases ;  but  they 
can't  last  much  longer,  and  then  I  shall  be  out  of 
a  job  and  can  just  loaf.  For  the  last  fortnight  I 
have  had  a  ward  cram-full;  but  every  one  is  up 
for  discharge  or  furlough,  and  there  are  no  more 

9 


i 30     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

sick  here;  so  then  what '11  I  do?  Why  can't 
somebody  want  me  and  make  me  come? 

You  will  be  surprised  to  know  I  went  to  a  real 
ball  New  Year's  night.  All  sorts  of  fine  doings 
over  at  Fort  Macon.  Dr.  Bellangee  would  not 
take  a  denial  from  Mrs.  B.  or  me;  so  we  had  to 
go,  though  I  really  had  nothing  to  wear.  I 
patched  up  that  purple  skirt  of  mine,  and  the  white 
waist  that  D.  gave  me;  but  I  had  no  gloves  or 
boots,  only  thick  ones,  and  felt  rather  shabby ;  and 
then  having  hardly  a  spear  of  hair!  I  was  not 
first-best,  but,  as  there  were  only  seven  ladies,  I 
had  to  be  a  belle,  and  so  danced  continuously. 

You  can  have  no  idea  of  the  storm  that  night; 
it  never  rained  harder.  The  sea  was  fearful.  We 
went  a  mile  to  the  station  on  a  hand  car,  and  then 
took  the  tug  to  the  Fort  (two  miles)  ;  it  was 
about  as  wild  a  night  as  one  would  care  to  put  to 
sea  in;  and  just  after  we  arrived  there  came  up 
the  awfulest  thunder-shower  you  ever  heard;  it 
sounded  as  if  all  the  guns  in  the  fort  were  ex 
ploding.  Our  party  of  five  ladies  was  the  only 
one  that  ventured  out.  There  were  thirty-seven 
invited  (ladies,  I  mean)  and  they  had  made  big 
preparations.  The  dance-hall  was  trimmed  with 
flags  and  evergreens,  the  music  was  good,  and  the 
supper  fine;  but  it  was  the  dullest  affair  I  ever 
went  to.  All  were  so  disappointed  that  it  was 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      1 3 1 

impossible  to  get  up  any  life.  It  was  so  stormy 
we  could  not  leave  till  five  in  the  morning;  and 
then  when  we  got  to  the  station  the  mule  who 
dragged  our  hand  car  down  had  run  away,  and 
the  nigs  had  run  away  too;  so  we  had  to  come 
that  mile  on  our  tired  pedals.  It  was  a  tough 
walk  with  the  gale  dead  ahead,  and  nearly  blowing 
us  off  the  track  into  the  sea;  for  it  is  only  a  pier 
that  the  cars  run  on.  I  flattered  myself  I  'd  have 
an  hour's  sleep  anyway ;  but  just  as  I  got  upstairs 
they  came  and  said  F.  was  worse.  As  soon  as 
I  looked  at  him  I  saw  he  would  n't  live  long,  so 
just  hurried  off  my  ball  fixings  and  stayed  with 
him  till  he  died,  about  nine  that  morning. 

MOREHEAD  CITY,  January  19  [1864]. 
I  have  only  a  few  minutes  just  to  tell  you  how 
tired  I  am  and  let  you  know  where  I  am.  For  the 
past  ten  days  I  have  had  no  attendant  but  one 
Frenchman,  who  does  not  speak  a  word  of  Eng 
lish.  When  this  last  call  was  made  for  all  able- 
bodied  men  to  return  to  their  regiments,  my 
watchman  had  to  go;  and  the  same  day  both  my 
attendants  (of  course,  broken-down  invalids)  were 
taken  sick,  one  with  typhoid  and  one  with  acute 
dysentery,  so  I  had  to  watch  all  day  and  part  of 
every  night,  besides  doing  extra  cooking  and  all 
kinds  of  work  through  the  day.  Of  course  I 


132     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

am  tired  out;  as  you  may  see  when  I  say  I  have 
fourteen  patients  all  in  bed,  ten  with  the  worst 
kind  of  typhoid  pneumonia,  so  they  have  to  be 
lifted  and  fed  and  washed,  as  they  can't  raise  a 
hand.  I  have  not  left  my  ward,  except  to  eat, 
since  I  wrote  last. 

MOREHEAD  CITY,  February  5,  1864. 

I  wrote  you  on  Monday  that  news  had  come  that 
New  Berne  was  attacked.  On  Tuesday,  about 
twelve  o'clock,  a  despatch  came  that  Newport 
Barracks,  ten  miles  from  this,  was  attacked  by 
a  large  Rebel  force.  It  was  held  by  the  Ninth 
Vermont,  one  company  of  the  Second  Massachu 
setts  Heavy  Artillery,  and  a  single  company  of  the 
Nineteenth  Wisconsin.  Colonel  Jourclan  of  the 
One  Hundred  and  Fifty-eighth  New  York  started 
from  here  immediately  with  what  few  men  he  had 
left  (the  best  had  already  been  sent  in  defence  of 
New  Berne),  and  two  field-pieces  and  a  few  men 
from  Company  C  of  the  Massachusetts  H.  A., 
leaving  this  place  almost  defenceless.  I  forgot  to 
say  that  all  the  night  before  the  cars  were  running, 
bringing  down  arms  and  ammunition  for  the  re 
cruits  of  the  One  Hundred  and  Fifty-eighth  and 
Second;  until  they  were  brought  there  was  not  a 
single  gun  left  in  the  town;  smart,  I  think. 

Well,  to  go  on  with  my  story.    Jourdan  started 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      133 

with  his  raw  recruits,  but  the  cars  were  attacked 
and  he  had  to  come  back.  Soon  the  negroes  began 
to  flock  in ;  they  came  by  hundreds,  such  frightened 
beings,  leaving  everything  except  their  children 
behind  them.  The  gunboats  (one,  I  mean,  a  small 
one)  came  up  and  lay  opposite  the  town.  Every 
citizen  was  compelled  to  take  arms,  and  every 
negro  was  put  to  work  on  the  entrenchments. 

Such  a  scurrying  time  you  never  saw.  All  the 
company  stores  were  sent  on  board  the  ships,  and 
all  the  stores  of  the  regiment  too;  and  every  one 
began  to  pack  his  traps.  Everything  seemed  to  be 
thought  of  except  the  patients.  Mrs.  B.  was  in 
a  fine  stew  packing  her  trunk.  By  dark  we  could 
see  Newport  Barracks  burning,  but  could  learn 
nothing  of  the  men  who  defended  it.  You  never 
did  hear  of  such  a  night,  I  guess,  as  that  was,  — 
the  citizen  women  screaming  from  every  house, 
so  loud  that  we  could  hear  them,  because  their 
men  were  compelled  to  fight  and,  of  course,  to  be 
killed  without  mercy;  the  terrified  negroes  con 
stantly  arriving;  the  thousand  reports  brought  in 
each  moment;  the  occasional  firing  of  a  gun  by 
some  very  scared  sentry ;  and  always  such  a  rush 
ing  to  and  fro.  I  utterly  refused  to  pack  or  budge 
unless  the  patients  went  too;  but,  at  one  o'clock, 
C.  [hospital  attendant]  insisted  on  my  sending  my 
traps  at  least  to  the  Fort,  if  I  would  not  go  myself. 


1 34     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

Flying  men  had  begun  to  come  in,  some  slightly 
wounded,  all  with  alarming  stories;  and  some  of 
those  at  the  fort  which  defends  the  town  (Fort 
Heckman)  could  hear  the  Rebs  chopping  trees,  etc. 

So  I  began  to  pack.  War  packing  is  a  pretty 
hopeless  job  at  any  time;  under  such  pressure  it 
was  impossible  to  choose.  I  wanted  my  treasures, 
and  C.  said  to  take  the  dry-goods;  so  it  was  war 
between  us.  However,  I  managed  to  smuggle  in 
my  best  traps;  but  I  began  to  realize  how  incon 
venient  they  are  unless  one  is  decidedly  fond  of 
them.  We  got  through  at  last,  and  then  went 
out  to  watch  the  beginning  of  the  expected  battle. 
There  were  not  three  hundred  men  in  all,  and  the 
Rebs  were  said  to  be  five  thousand  strong.  The 
moon  came  up,  and  it  was  such  a  lovely  scene,  — 
the  signals  from  the  two  forts  and  the  gunboats 
(two  at  the  station  and  one  at  Fort  Macon),  the 
frogs  singing  as  if  nothing  were  going  on,  and 
the  air  so  warm  and  still.  We  sat  for  hours,  and 
only  when  the  morning  broke  went  to  bed.  The 
patients  had  at  last  fallen  asleep,  and  broad  day 
light  found  them  still  sleeping.  I  had  to  give  big 
doses  of  morphine  to  accomplish  even  that. 

Well,  the  night  was  over,  and  the  Rebels  had  not 
come,  and  everybody  was  quite  worn  out.  The 
excitement  was  intense,  cut  off  as  we  were  from 
all  communications,  and  just  waiting  to  be  "  took." 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      135 

About  ten  in  the  morning  news  came  that  the 
Ninth  Vermont  and  Mix's  New  Cavalry  (I  for 
got  to  mention  them)  had  crossed  the  Newport 
River,  burned  the  railroad  bridge,  and  come  down 
on  the  other  side  to  Beaufort.  I  must  tell  you  first 
how  this  place  lies:  we  are  on  a  very  narrow 
strip  with  Bogue  Sound  on  one  side  and  Calico 
Creek  on  the  other;  then  another  narrow  strip, 
and  then  Newport  River;  so  you  see  they  had  a 
good  distance  to  get  round.  They  were  soon 
brought  over  here,  and  people  felt  a  little  relieved 
to  have  some  more  help.  At  first  it  was  supposed 
half  of  the  men  were  killed  or  prisoners,  but  they 
have  been  gradually  straggling  back,  so  now  but 
few,  comparatively,  are  not  accounted  for,  —  only 
the  Nineteenth  Wisconsin  has  not  been  heard 
from.  I  '11  bet  they  fought;  that  is  a  bully  regi 
ment,  and  we  fear  that  all  who  were  left  are 
prisoners. 

Now  here  was  another  day  and  night,  —  con 
stant  alarms,  everybody  all  ready  for  flight.  Doc 
tor  gave  shelter  in  one  of  the  barracks  to  about 
a  hundred  negro  women  and  children  who  had 
to  be  fed  and  cared  for,  besides  the  sick  and  tired 
soldiers  pouring  in  all  day;  but  at  least  we  had 
more  soldiers  in  the  forts,  though  they  were  tired 
ones.  Still  the  Rebels  did  not  come.  All  day 
yesterday  (Thursday)  we  could  see  fires  in  all 


1 36     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

directions,  perhaps  turpentine  and  perhaps  homes 
of  loyal  men.  About  two  we  could  see  parties  of 
people  moving  about  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
creek  a  mile  and  a  half  away,  and  big  fires  too; 
now  it  seemed  inevitable  that  we  were  to  be  "  done 
took,"  and  I  guess  no  one  lay  down  quite  easy 
in  his  bed.  But  morning  found  us  all  right, 
and,  later,  the  Spaulding  came  with  the  Twenty- 
first  Connecticut,  old  fighters,  and,  they  say,  good. 
Anyway,  at  two  they,  with  the  Ninth  Vermont  and 
Cavalry,  started  on  an  expedition;  the  cars  took 
them  up  seven  miles  and  left  them  to  proceed  to 
Newport  Barracks  on  foot ;  of  course,  by  this  time 
the  Rebels  were  miles  away.  I  have  no  doubt 
reinforcements  will  be  sent  to  our  help  from  New 
Berne  unless  that  is  taken,  and  I  reckon  it  is  not, 
though  it  has  been  surrounded;  but  they  have 
many  forts  and  gunboats.  All  communication  is 
cut  off,  the  bridge  burned  and  telegraph  destroyed, 
so  God  knows  how  they  may  be;  anyway,  all  are 
sure  of  a  quiet  night,  and  I  have,  as  you  see,  a  little 
leisure  to  tell  you  about  it.  I  have  been  so  often 
reminded  of  Mrs.  Bluebeard  and  her  sister  Ann, 
for  there  has  been  such  a  constant  watching  from 
high  places  for  reinforcements,  and  my  gallery 
has  been  the  principal  scene  of  action  all  the  day : 
"  Do  you  see  any  steamers  ?  "  "  Nary  a  steamer," 
—  till  the  head  was  almost  off.  I  believe  Madam 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      137 

was  going  to  have  her  head  off;   I  've  almost  for 
gotten  the  modus  operandi. 

Through  all  this  I  have  been  so  provoked  that 
I  could  not  get  up  one  bit  of  a  scare  or  even  excite 
ment;  I  could  not  even  feel  anxious.  Of  course 
I  could  not  sleep  for  the  everlasting  hubbub,  but, 
I  don't  say  it  for  boasting,  I  could  n't  see  it.  It 
seemed  to  me  quite  a  nice  phase  in  war  life.  Had 
I  really  believed  the  Ninth  and  Cavalry  made  a  good 
stand  and  had  really  lost  many  men,  I  might  have 
felt  different ;  but  as  they  once  passed  six  months 
in  Chicago  as  paroled  prisoners,  and  Harper's  Ferry 
was  all  the  fight  they  ever  were  in,  I  believed  they 
would  skedaddle  ingloriously,  as  I  believe  they 
did,  and  as  we  most  of  us  here  meant  to.  I  may 
be  unjust,  but  that  is  what  I  say.  Anyway,  one 
thing  they  did,  and  that  was  mean;  they  burned 
the  long  bridge  behind  them,  completely  cutting 
off  the  retreat  of  the  Cavalry  and  the  Second 
Massachusetts  [H.  A.]  and  poor  Wisconsin,  so 
they  had  to  swim  for  it;  and  it  is  said  many  of 
the  Second  boys  were  drowned;  anyway,  they  are 
missing  yet. 

They  talk  of  many  wounded  and  killed,  but  they 
brought  only  three  into  Beaufort,  and  one  or  two 
have  straggled  in  here.  All  that  came  I  have  in 
my  ward.  The  Ninth  had  been  recruited  by  four 
hundred;  the  recruits  arrived  at  eleven  and  were 


138     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

attacked  at  twelve;  rather  soon  to  begin,  but  it 
is  said  they  stood  up  well.  It  seems,  though,  that 
the  most  who  are  missing  are  the  new  ones.  One 
sad  story  I  have  heard:  two  brothers  stood  side 
by  side,  and  both  were  killed  within  a  moment  of 
each  other;  a  hard  sorrow  for  the  poor  parents 
at  home.  I  fear  I  have  not  given  you  a  very 
graphic  account  of  what  has  really  been  quite  an 
interesting  episode  in  our  life;  but  it  is  so  hard 
to  tell  stories  good.1 

I  sometimes  am  tempted  to  send  you  a  nigger; 
I  know  such  a  nice  servant,  and  she  wants  to  go 
North.  I  have  a  little  one  to  take  care  of  my  room 
and  run  my  errands.  If  her  nose  were  in  order, 
she  would  be  quite  charming ;  but  I  am  constantly 
charging  on  her  for  that,  and  it  is  quite  wearing; 
especially,  too,  as  I  have  to  supply  her  the  needful 
apparatus,  which  she  is  continually  losing. 

MOREHEAD  CITY,  February  25  [1864]. 

I  have  had  my  hands  full  of  wounded  at  last. 
I  have  twelve  wounds  to-day,  all,  I  reckon,  that 
were  wounded  in  that  bloody  battle  of  Newport 
Barracks.  My  crowning  was  a  Rebel  who  was 
brought  to  me  to-day  with  a  good  Union  ball 
through  his  lungs;  such  a  gaunt,  haggard,  ema 
ciated  specimen  of  humanity  you  never  have  seen, 

1  For  these  skirmishes  see  "  Official  Records  of  the  War  of  the 
Rebellion,"  Series  I.  vol.  xxxiii.  p.  47. 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      139 

because  such  kinds  of  men  are  never  found  up  there ; 
they  are  peculiar  to  North  Carolina,  a  true  type 
of  all.  When  I  should  tell  he  was  dirty,  you  could 
not  then  understand  the  word  in  its  full  sense; 
you  must  see  a  Southern  soldier  first  to  under 
stand.  I  had  him  washed  and  cut  and  clothed, 
and  now  I  hope  to  be  able  to  approach  him  without 
having  my  nose  tied  up.  The  poor  fellow,  though, 
is  very  grateful  and  very  sick.  He  was  left,  with 
another,  when  the  Rebels  retired  at  their  leisure; 
but  before  they  left  him  they  stripped  off  all  his 
clothes ;  they  could  not  afford  to  leave  even  those. 
I  have  put  him  in  a  room  with  my  pet  patient, 
Will  S.,  of  the  gallant  Ninth.  Now  Willie  is  a 
real  character,  and  I  expect  there  will  be  some  fun 
there;  he  has  a  ball  in  the  back  of  his  head.  He 
makes  so  much  fun  of  his  wound  and  the  way  his 
face  was  pointed ;  often  asks  me  if  I  had  not  rather 
be  dressing  that  than  his  nose,  which  would  prob 
ably  have  been  the  seat  of  the  injury  if  he  had 
minded  his  old  mother  and  not  run ;  but,  he  says, 
somehow  the  legs  would  go  that  way  spite  of  all 
he  could  do.  He  declares  that  in  the  midst  of  it, 
thinking  about  her,  he  said  to  himself,  "Land,  she 
would  run  too,  if  she  was  here  and  saw  all  those 
darned  Rebs  after  her ;  "  and  that  was  the  last 
thought  he  had  for  some  time.  He  is  such  a  homely 
fellow,  and  with  his  shaved  head  and  bandages 


140     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

would  make  a  capital  scarecrow.  Poor  man!  it 
is  doubtful  if  he  gets  well,  and  he  knows  his 
danger ;  but  it  does  n't  stop  his  fun  at  all. 

Another  good  patient  I  have  is  Tom  G.,  of  the 
same  regiment.  He  is  shot  in  the  right  arm,  near 
the  shoulder.  There  is  constant  danger  of  hemor 
rhage,  and  he  is  in  intense  pain  (probably  the  nerve 
is  severed) ;  but  he  bears  it  splendidly,  and  is 
always  ready  to  laugh.  His  companion  is  a  cross 
Frenchman  who  had  a  bad  wife  and  hates  women ; 
so  he  kept  his  head  always  covered  when  I  came 
near  him  and  never  spoke,  —  only  moaned.  He 
is  slung  up  in  an  anterior  splint  and  hates  the 
"damned  machine;"  but  somehow,  lately,  he 
has  got  to  liking  the  "  damned  "  women  better, 
and  really  looks  at  me  with  smiles,  and,  to-day, 
asked  me  to  write  an  English  letter  to  his  dear 
cousin  Margy;  so  I  think  I  have  conquered  him 
with  kindness,  and  made  him  have  a  better  opinion 
of  women  generally. 

MOREHEAD  CITY,  April  3  [1864]. 

All  the  boys  want  me  to  write  their  letters  to 
you;  but  I  tell  them  no,  they  must  get  some  boy 
to  write.  I  have  to  write  for  five  of  them  every 
week,  often  several  letters,  and  it  is  about  as 
hateful  a  thing  as  they  could  set  me  at.  When 
practice  makes  perfect,  I  shall  be  a  good  letter- 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      141 

writer  before  I  die,  if  the  war  lasts  awhile.  I 
think,  had  I  known  this  part  of  my  duties,  I  never 
would  have  enlisted.  Sergeant  H.  almost  wore 
me  out;  he  had  so  many  kinsfolk,  and  every  day 
somebody  must  be  written  to.  It  is  so  hard  to 
express  other  people's  thoughts.  Smith's,  now, 
are  entertaining;  he  dictates  and  I  write  what 
he  says,  when  I  can  for  laughing. 

The  "  terrible  schoolma'ms  "  of  the  following 
letter  do  not  appear  in  any  earlier  correspondence. 
Probably  the  letter  referring  to  them  has  been 
lost. 

MOREHEAD  CITY,  May  6  [1864]. 

I  have  only  a  few  moments  just  to  tell  you  the 
Rebels  have  not  got  here  yet,  though  some  people 
are  hourly  expecting  them;  not  so  I.  I  still  be 
lieve  they  will  not  venture  here.  The  town  is 
full  of  rumors  and  nothing  is  known.  The  train 
was  cut  off  yesterday,  and  the  wires  severed;  the 
last  news  was  that  they  were  fighting  hard  at 
New  Berne,  and  that  terrific  Ram  was  there,  and 
all  sorts  of  horrid  things. 

For  us,  we  are  full  of  refugees;  three  hundred 
and  fifty  women  and  children  came  here  the  day 
after  I  last  wrote  you,  and  since  then  Bedlam 
has  been  let  loose.  The  schoolma'ms  seemed  ter 
rible,  as  I  told  you;  but  think  of  so  many  dirty 


142     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

women  and  children  let  into  the  grounds.  They 
occupy  two  big  barracks;  some  of  them  have  not 
a  change  of  clothes.  They  had  only  an  hour's 
notice  to  quit  Washington  [N.  C.].  You  cannot 
know  anything  of  squalor  till  you  see  these  people, 
all  piping  and  chewing  and  crying  everlastingly; 
perfectly  satisfied  to  sit  on  the  floor  without  mak 
ing  an  effort  to  better  their  condition,  only  by  an 
extra  chew  of  snuff.  We  can't  even  make  them 
wash  themselves  or  their  clothes;  everybody  is 
busy  doing  for  them,  for  something  must  be  done. 
I  never  before  knew  anything  of  war  horrors; 
you  should  see  and  hear  them  to  believe.  Some 
of  these  women's  husbands  have  fallen  into  the 
Rebels'  hands;  of  course  they  are  murdered,  as 
not  a  North  Carolinian  has  escaped,  they  say. 
You  have  already  seen  how  the  Rebels  treated  the 
negroes;  the  men  were  marched  out  in  squads, 
made  to  dig  their  own  graves,  and  then  murdered 
and  thrown  into  them,  one  at  a  time.  I  saw  a 
man  yesterday  who  saw  it.  Every  child,  even, 
who  was  found  with  a  bit  of  black  on  it  was 
treated  in  the  same  way.  Our  men  at  Plymouth 
were  all  stripped,  and  in  an  hour  every  Rebel  was 
dressed  in  our  uniform.  Both  Plymouth  and 
Washington  are  destroyed,  and,  they  say,  Roanoke 
is  also  taken.  All  those  places  were  won  by  such 
hard  fighting  and  so  hardly  kept,  so  much  life  lost, 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      143 

and  now  to  be  given  right  up  again !    It  is  too  bad ; 
what  do  they  mean  to  do? 

I  must  tell  you  of  my  new  charge.  I  have 
selected  from  the  lot  three  of  the  lousiest,  dirtiest, 
raggedest  little  things  you  ever  saw  in  your  life, 
and  brought  them  here  to  take  care  of.  The  oldest, 
a  girl,  is  blind,  and  so  ignorant  and  forlorn.  They 
had  not  a  person  in  the  world  to  take  care  of  them, 
not  a  bed  to  sleep  on;  the  little  boys  are  really 
pretty,  but  such  sights  as  they  were  when  I  brought 
them  up  here;  not  a  spot  on  their  bodies  that 
is  n't  sore.  Of  course,  the  first  thing  I  did  was  to 
strip  them  and  burn  everything  they  had  on,  and 
they  were  literally  naked  in  the  world.  The 
mother  and  baby  died  a  few  days  since,  and  the 
father  is  a  soldier  in  the  Second  North  Carolina, 
God  knows  where.  I  have  been  sewing  my  hand 
off  to  get  something  made  for  them,  and  now  have 
them  quite  decent.  I  give  them  a  scrub  in  soap 
and  water  every  night,  and  the  poor  little  things 
are  looking  more  human  now.  Of  course,  they 
are  a  great  care;  but  I  had  to  do  it;  those  poor 
blind  eyes  were  too  strong  for  me.  Her  name 
is  Angelico ;  she  has  a  new  coat  and  shoes  for  the 
first  time,  and  is  really  smiling;  but  she  has 
awfully  dirty  habits,  and  I  tell  you  the  "  Heavenly 
Father  feeling  "  comes  in  play  often.  I  shall  keep 
them  till  some  provision  can  be  made  for  them  by 


1 44     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

the  Government,  or  the  father  can  come  for  them. 
One  of  the  soldiers  will  adopt  the  youngest  if  his 
father  will  give  him  up  entirely. 

The  monotony  of  the  summer's  work  was  re 
lieved,  as  occasion  offered,  by  camping  out  on  the 
ocean  side  of  Shackelford  Island  (see  p.  122), 
where,  with  other  women  of  the  hospital  staff, 
Mrs.  von  Olnhausen  spent  many  a  pleasant  hour 
bathing,  walking,  and  searching  for  shells  and 
sea-weeds. 

August  22  [1864]. 

I  have  been  to  the  sea  for  a  day  or  two,  and 
yesterday  (Sunday)  a  big  storm  came;  the  tents 
are  old  and  leaky  and  so  Dr.  Bellangee  sent  for 
us.  The  storm  was  fearful,  and  it  is  two  miles 
to  cross;  but  Dr.  Cowgill  thought  it  was  safer 
in  the  boat  than  there,  and  such  a  sail  as  we  had 
over !  The  sea  was  awful,  and  the  wind,  in  gusts, 
dead  ahead.  Soon  after  we  started  I  guess  every 
one  wanted  to  be  on  shore  again;  but  there  was 
no  going  back  without  swamping,  so  on  we  came. 
We  were  two  hours  getting  over  and  were  wet  to 
the  pelt.  Then  the  boat  shipped  water  and  had 
been  at  the  wharf  only  a  few  moments  when  she 
sank,  kerflop!  I  assure  you  I  shall  never  go  to 
sea  in  such  a  storm  again. 

I  can't  yet  tell  for  certain  about  my  coming 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      145 

home;  though,  unless  pay  day  comes,  it  would 
be  impossible  anyway,  for  I  would  not  go  with 
out  a  little  money  ahead.  And  I  must  tell  you 
of  a  very  foolish  thing  I  did.  That  Mrs.  C. 
(schoolma'm)  who  was  here  awhile  ago  had  a 
big  wardrobe  and  no  money ;  she  came  to  me  with 
such  a  pitiful  story  about  her  child,  etc.,  and 
wanted  me  to  buy  some  of  her  dresses.  At  first 
I  ridiculed  the  idea;  but  she  was  persistent  and 
sorrowful;  and  finally,  Mrs.  B.  also  came  and 
urged.  I  told  her  I  was  no  judge  of  the  worth 
anyhow;  she  said  she  would  be  umpire,  and  as 
she  has  kept  store,  etc.,  and  is  very  shrewd,  I 
thought  she  would  be  fair  to  me ;  so  I  took  three 
dresses  and  some  laces.  Well,  after  I  paid  her 
and  showed  my  bargain,  everybody  laughed  at  me ; 
and  I  for  once  see  the  truth  of  "  a  fool  and  her 
money."  I  guess  nobody  was  ever  so  taken  in! 
Wasn't  it  real  shabby  in  Mrs.  B.,  and  she,  too, 
laughs ;  and  worse  than  all,  C.  told  around  among 
all  the  employees  of  the  hospital  that  I  was  such 
a  green  woman;  that  I  insisted  on  buying  her 
clothes ;  she  kept  refusing,  but  it  was  no  use,  have 
them  I  would,  and  now  she  had  to  make  fresh  ones 
just  to  gratify  my  whims!  So  all  that  pay  went 
for  nothing;  as  I  certainly  would  never  wear  one 
of  them  here. 

You  are  real  comforting  in  saying  it 's  fortunate 

10 


1 46      Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

my  children  all  died,  when  I  mourned  so  for 
them!  You  can't  know  how  I  missed  Franky; 
he  was  such  a  dear  little  boy.  You  ask  what  has 
become  of  all  those  people;  they  are  scattered 
about  in  tents  and  shanties  and  live  not  half  so 
good  as  pigs.  I  came  across  one  woman  yester 
day,  in  my  walk,  who  was  living  with  her  daughter 
and  granddaughter  under  a  quilt  spread  over  a 
pole.  It  was  just  high  enough  to  sit  in,  the  bed 
was  spread  right  in  the  sand,  and  such  a  bed !  and 
such  an  unhappy  old  woman !  as  you  may  believe. 
She  was  driven  from  a  good  home,  where  she 
had  been  born  and  expected  to  die.  She  had  a 
nice  farm,  well  stocked ;  but  would  be  Union  and 
so  had  to  fly  for  her  life.  They  robbed  her  of 
everything;  but  she  says  it  doesn't  matter  much; 
she  had  rather  be  so  than  one  of  them!  I  have 
heard  so  many  old  women  say  the  same  thing ;  the 
young  ones  only  seem  bad!  I  have  seen  so  much 
misery  since  I  have  been  in  North  Carolina  that 
I  forget  all  I  have  ever  seen  before!  Our  Illinois 
farm  was  princely.  It  will  either  harden  me  to 
stone  or  else  take  away  every  bit  of  selfishness 
from  me. 

August  23  and  September  4,  1864. 

A  fortnight  ago  I  got  so  far  along,  and  since 
then  I  'm  hanged  if  I  've  had  a  minute  to  write  or 
do  anything  (only  when  I  am  too  tired)  till  to-day. 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      1 47 

The  nigs  *  are  more  than  I  can  stand ;  they  bully 
me  so  I  don't  know  where  I  am.  One  of  them  told 
me  this  morning  "  she  'd  give  me  a  shakin'  down 
yet  'fore  she  got  t' rough ; "  which  sounds  so  re 
spectful  that  I  Ve  been  quite  satisfied  with  myself 
and  my  dignity  ever  since.  She  is  a  miserable- 
looking  little  article,  too,  black  as  night,  and  with 
such  thick  lips.  I  made  her  fold  some  dressing- 
gowns  over  for  the  fifth  time,  and  she  thought  that 
was  once  too  often  considering  she  had  washed 
them  over  twice!  Now  you  can  see  the  good  of 
giving  me  such  a  place.  I'm  no  more  fit  to  manage 
them  than  those  of  their  own  color.  But  this  week 
has  brought  me  all  right  so  far  as  work  goes;  I 
have  made  things  shine,  and  now  defy  any  one 
to  find  fault;  they  gave  unconditional  praise  on 
inspection  this  morning. 

MOREHEAD  CITY,  September  18,  1864. 
This  life  is  more  monotonous  now  than  I  ever 
knew  it  before ;  it 's  the  same  thing  each  day, 
varied  a  little,  when  the  cars  come,  with  the  hope 
of  mail  and  the  rumors  of  the  fever  which  is  raging 
at  New  Berne.  Some  say  it  is  the  yellow  fever 
and  some  that  it  is  congestive  chills;  anyway  it  is 
alarming,  as  so  far  all  have  died  in  a  short  time 
after  being  taken.  I  only  half  believe  the  stories; 

1  In  the  laundry,  of  which  she  had  been  put  in  charge. 


148     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

but  every  one  who  comes  down  seems  tolerably 
frightened,  and  many  families  are  moving  away. 
Thus  far  it  is  confined  mostly  to  citizens;  few 
soldiers  have  been  attacked.  If  it  should  prevail 
to  a  great  extent,  of  course  it  is  my  duty  to  go 
there,  and  I  suppose  I  shall.  I  have  no  fear  of  it, 
and  only  doubt  whether  I  could  do  much  good; 
but  still  I  shall  try. 

September  24,  1864. 

I  must  write  you  a  short  letter,  fearing  you  will 
be  anxious  about  the  fever  at  New  Berne;  so  far 
we  are  all  well  here.  One  woman  who  came  from 
New  Berne  with  the  disease  has  died,  and  one  case 
has  appeared  in  the  hospital;  but  still  it  seems 
almost  impossible  that  it  can  prevail  here,  this  is 
such  a  healthful  place  and  so  clean  too,  thanks  to 
Dr.  Bellangee.  He  stayed  here  only  one  day,  and 
then  was  ordered  up  to  New  Berne  to  take  charge 
of  the  Health  Department.  He  is  made  President 
of  the  board  and  is  doing  sweeping  work  there; 
he  wrote  to-day  that  he  is  making  a  fearful 
amount  of  enemies,  and  is  constantly  exposed  to 
danger,  but  he  would  shirk  nothing;  that  he  con 
sidered  it  his  duty  as  long  as  God  spared  him. 

He  wrote  to  his  wife  and  me  together,  begging 
me  to  stay  by  through  this  crisis;  that  he  should 
feel  such  courage  if  he  knew  I  was  here  to  do  my 
share.  He  would  not  hear  of  my  going  to  New 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      1 49 

Berne.  You  see  I  had  my  papers  all  arranged  to 
go  Monday  on  the  Petrel,  that  sails  from  this  port ; 
but  I  found  him  so  sad  about  it  I  gave  it  up.  I 
had  anticipated  so  much  pleasure  in  being  at  home ; 
but  that  must  be  deferred  now  till  another  time. 
I  hope  the  fever  will  soon  abate,  and  then  I  shall 
think  again  of  starting.  I  will  send  a  bulletin 
every  few  days,  so  don't  be  worried  about  me. 


September  28,  1864. 

I  am  sure  you  will  be  glad  to  hear  from  me  if 
only  a  few  words.  I  am  so  sorry  to  tell  you  that 
our  dear  doctor  was  brought  back  here  yesterday  so 
sick  that  I  can't  tell  you  how  he  is.  That  fearful 
fever,  no  one  can  say  how  it  will  terminate;  but 
his  symptoms  are  not  so  bad  as  some  who  have 
come  here. 

September  30,  1864. 

I  did  not  write  yesterday,  as  it  was  such  an 
anxious  day  with  us  all.  Doctor  was  very  sick  all 
day,  and  I  could  not  leave  him  for  a  moment.  To 
day  he  is  still  bad;  but  the  symptoms  are  all  en 
couraging,  and  if  he  holds  out  as  he  is  now  till 
after  four  o'clock  this  afternoon,  we  feel  as  if  all 
danger  would  be  passed,  —  I  mean  the  frightful 
part;  of  course  he  will  be  fearfully  prostrated, 
and  it  will  require  all  his  iron  constitution  to  carry 


150     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

him  through  till  Monday,  when  he  will  begin  to 
rally. 

Till  you  are  with  it  you  can  have  no  idea  of 
this  dreadful  fever;  nothing  else  approaches  it 
except  cholera.  The  effect  upon  the  spirits  would 
alone  be  distressing  enough;  but  then  the  agony 
of  the  patient,  and  his  consciousness  of  the  danger 
add  so  much  to  the  horror.  No  one  expects  to  live, 
and  when  the  black  vomit  comes  that  look  of 
despair  with  the  "  There  is  no  show  for  me  any 
longer  "  makes  your  heart  just  full. 

The  news  from  New  Berne  is  bad  enough  to-day ; 
the  fever  seems  on  the  increase  and  the  weather 
is  still  warm;  this  morning  was  fearful.  We  are 
still  spared  here;  no  cases  except  those  brought 
from  there;  and  though  the  doctor  so  far  is  the 
only  hopeful  one,  yet  there  were  many  more  cases 
in  New  Berne  cured  this  week  than  last.  Perhaps 
they  treat  it  better ;  though  it  is  often  the  fact  in 
this  epidemic  that  after  the  third  week  the  pro 
portion  of  cures  is  much  greater.  It  seems  it  ap 
peared  as  early  as  the  first  of  September,  but  they 
have  been  trying  to  keep  it  dark ;  called  it  conges 
tive  chills,  etc.,  and  took  no  steps  to  remove  the 
causes  even,  till  Dr.  Bellangee  went  there. 

The  world  has  to  thank  Dr.  -  — ,  a  Massachu 
setts  man,  who  has  been  Health  Officer  there,  for 
all  this.  He  has  allowed  everything  to  accumulate 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     1 5 1 

and  has  never  remonstrated,  —  not  even  with  the 
Quartermaster,  who  filled  in  a  whole  square  of  the 
dock  with  condemned  beef,  pork,  and  vegetables. 
The  barrels  were  thrown  in  just  as  they  were,  full, 
and  were  then  covered  with  about  three  feet  of 
earth.  The  fever  originated  there,  and  not  one 
in  that  quarter  got  well.  It  then  spread  all  over 
the  town.  Moreover,  the  town  has  never  been 
drained,  and  every  vault  and  sink,  even  of  the 
hospital,  is  in  an  awful  condition.  It's  too  bad 
that  so  many  lives  should  be  sacrificed  to  such 
wanton  neglect.  It  is  said  that  dead  hogs  and 
dogs  and  other  animals  come  floating  down  those 
two  sluggish  streams  that  surround  New  Berne 
(the  Neuse  and  Trent)  and  make  into  an  eddy  at 
the  piers;  there  they  lie,  putrid,  till  they  finally 
melt  away.  What  can  one  hope  from  such  a  town  ? 
I  would  gladly  go  there  and  do  my  share  of  it. 
Can  I  be  too  glad,  though,  that  I  am  here  to  nurse 
the  doctor?  He  needs  me  so  much.  The  boys 
turn  pale  when  I  speak  of  going;  so,  unless  some 
thing  particular  happens,  I  shall  not  go  at  present. 
Is  n't  it  singular  that  black  people  do  not  take 
the  fever?  Some  yellow  ones  have  had  it;  but 
not  one  black.  The  poor  refugees  die  with  it  on 
short  notice.  Those  all-suffering  people  have  had 
more  than  their  share,  —  measles,  small-pox, 
worms,  and  now  fever;  not  many  will  be  left  to 


1 5  2    Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

tell  the  tale  of  suffering  by  the  time  winter  is  over. 
What  can  the  poor  things  do,  so  broken  now,  in 
their  crowded  tents,  —  God  help  them ! 


October  2,  1864. 

What  do  you  think  the  New  Berne  paper  of  yes 
terday  says  ?  "  Some  people  for  some  reason  are 
trying  to  get  up  a  panic,  saying  we  have  some 
infectious  disease  here,  which  is  perfectly  false; 
typhoid  and  swamp  fevers  are  prevalent,  but  to  no 
alarming  extent,  and  there  is  no  epidemic  pre 
vailing."  Is  it  not  a  shame  to  publish  such  lies? 
Friday  and  yesterday  each  there  were  twenty-five 
burials,  all  of  yellow  fever.  Whole  families  are 
found  dead  in  their  houses;  four  were  found 
yesterday,  the  wife  lying  across  the  feet  of  her 
dead  husband,  and  both  children  dead  beside  them ; 
and  with  this  knowledge,  to  say  such  lies !  I  hope 
to  come  home  this  fall,  but  that  will  depend  on 
how  long  this  sickness  lasts.  When  the  fighting 
commences  at  Wilmington,  I  suppose  I  can't  come ; 
and,  if  it  is  late,  the  long  sail  in  these  vile  tempests 
is  rather  an  objection. 

MOREHEAD  CITY,  October  5,  1864. 
The  news  from  New  Berne  grows  worse  each 
day,  and  sick  men  are  continually  being  brought 
here;   but  I  have  not  time  to  look  after  those  in 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     153 

my  ward  now ;   Dr.  Bellangee  claims  me  first  and 
all. 

Dr.  Hand  wrote  yesterday :  "  The  fever  grows 
worse ;  God  only  can  help  us.  I  'm  dreadfully 
blue  and  exhausted,  I  can  scarcely  get  upstairs 
to  bed  after  my  work  is  done."  He  is  medical 
director  of  this  department,  and  so  far  the  only 
surgeon  who  has  escaped ;  but  they  say  he  is  worn 
to  a  skeleton.  After  Friday,  this  port  is  closed 
to  all  except  gunboats.  There  is  no  doubt  that 
Wilmington  is  to  be  attacked;  so  now  God  only 
knows  when  I  shall  get  home.  The  quarantine 
is  twenty  days,  even  for  letters,  in  New  York ;  so 
I  fear  you  will  be  very  anxious  about  me. 

MOREHEAD  CITY,  October  14,  1864. 

I  don't  know  how  I  can  tell  you  the  mournful 
news  of  our  dear  friend's  [Dr.  Bellangee's]  death. 
My  last  letter  was  hopeful  of  his  recovery ;  but  an 
hour  after  it  had  gone  he  was  taken  worse  and 
suffered  more  than  I  am  sure  any  poor  mortal 
deserved.  I  can  hardly  remember  the  particulars 
now,  it  was  so  pitiful  to  us  all.  He  suffered  con 
stantly,  notwithstanding  quantities  of  chloroform, 
till  three  in  the  morning,  when  he  died ;  his  screams 
will  never  be  forgotten. 

Last  night  another  very  sick  patient  was  brought 
to  me,  —  a  Mrs.  N.,  mother  of  Mrs.  Colonel  A.  of 


154     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

Boston.  The  Colonel  and  she  have  both  died  this 
week,  and  no  one  would  take  in  or  keep  this  poor 
old  woman,  who  has  the  fever;  so  Doctor  [Palmer] 
and  I  concluded  we  must.  I  dread  another  such 
trial,  of  course;  but  what  can  one  do  when  all  are 
suffering  so?  I  also  have  a  sick  doctor  from  New 
Berne  Hospital,  so  I  can  only  keep  on  working 
until  God  sends  us  frost. 

Our  hospital  is  full  of  sick,  though  so  far  only 
those  are  taken  who  have  been  brought  from  New 
Berne ;  no  case  has  originated  here.  In  Beaufort  it 
is  different;  there  the  fever  appeared  of  itself,  the 
first  victims  being  Colonel  A.  and  his  wife.  I  have 
had,  besides  all  this  nursing,  to  pack  everything  for 
Mrs.  Bellangee,  think  for  her,  and  take  charge  of 
the  House;  and  now  I  am  at  the  station  with  her 
waiting  for  the  ship  to  sail  that  will  take  her  from 
this  sorrowful  place.  She  is  so  disappointed  that 
I  will  not  go  North  with  her ;  but  I  see  clearly  my 
duty  is  here.  I  could  not  leave  Dr.  Palmer  now  in 
his  trial. 

This  is  the  first  time  I  have  sat  down  to-day, 
and  with  no  sleep  last  night  I  feel  drowsy  and 
stupid  enough;  but  I  would  not  let  the  ship  sail 
without  these  few  words.  I  know  you  think  of  me 
often  now ;  but  don't  feel  anxious.  I  am  perfectly 
well  with  the  exception  of  being  tired,  and  am 
really  glad  to  be  where  I  can  make  comfort  to  so 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     155 

many.  I  can't  tell  you  how  grateful  I  felt  when 
the  rumor  went  out  that  I,  too,  was  to  leave  to 
day.  The  boys  all  came  to  me  with :  "  Mrs.  O., 
don't  leave  us,  you  are  all  we  have  now;  what 
can  we  do  without  you?  "  and  their  gladness  when 
I  told  them  I  would  stay !  Dr.  Palmer  just  kissed 
my  hands  and  went  away.  I  am  real  egotistical,  I 
know;  but  I  can't  help  it;  I  am  a  little  weaker 
than  usual  from  being  over-tired. 

This  "  little  weakness  "  developed  quickly  into 
yellow  fever,  of  which  she  had  an  extremely 
serious  case.  When  sufficiently  convalescent  to 
bear  the  journey,  she  was  taken  North  to  the 
frosts  and  healing  air  of  Lexington. 


CHAPTER   VII 

RETURNING  to  Morehead  City  in  Decem 
ber,  1864,  Mrs.  von  Olnhausen  remained 
there  until  early  in  the  following  April, 
when  she  was  transferred,  first  to  Beaufort  and 
afterwards  to  Smithville,  North  Carolina.  Dur 
ing  this  period  the  war  came  to  an  end  through 
the  surrender  of  Lee,  and  President  Lincoln 
was  assassinated.  The  demoralization  inseparable 
from  the  ending  of  a  great  war  made  itself  plainly 
felt  in  the  hospitals;  and  the  disorganization  of 
these  last  months  was  almost  as  great  as  that  of 
her  first  experience,  at  Alexandria.  Remaining 
with  the  hospital  at  Smithville  as  long  as  there 
was  any  need  for  her  services,  she  at  last  received 
her  discharge  in  the  closing  days  of  August,  1865. 
Laden  with  birds,  animals,  curios,  and  kindred 
"  traps,"  and  accompanied  by  a  "  Contraband " 
man-servant,  she  returned  in  the  late  summer  to 
the  welcome  of  her  Lexington  homes. 

MOREHEAD  CITY,  Sunday,  December  n,  1864. 

Back  once  more  in  my  own  room,  so  much  bluer 
than  I  expected  to  be.     I  half  determined  not  to 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     1 57 

write  at  all,  I  felt  so  homesick.  I  arrived  here 
yesterday  morning,  after  being  a  whole  week  on 
my  journey,  thoroughly  tired,  for  it  was  such  a 
roundabout  way  to  come.  Most  of  the  time  we 
had  bad  weather  and  not  a  soul  for  company;  so 
it  made  the  time  seem  even  longer. 

I  left  New  York  Monday,  and  had  the  usual 
tiresome  ride  to  Baltimore;  but  the  cars  were 
detained,  so  the  boat  had  already  left  for  Fortress 
Monroe,  and  I  must  wait  till  the  next  day.  I  went 
to  Barnum's,  and  the  first  stupid  thing  I  did  was 
when  the  clerk  asked  me  my  name.  I  could  not, 
for  a  moment,  remember  it  at  all;  he  stared  sus 
piciously  at  me,  till  at  last  I  told  him.  I  also  said 
I  wanted  the  valise  and  largest  trunk  sent  to  my 
room.  When  they  were  brought  up  I  found  the 
trunk  had  been  opened,  and  the  blankets  taken  off. 
I  asked  why,  and  the  porter  said  it  was  too  hard 
to  carry  with  them  on;  but  afterwards,  when  I 
came  to  open  the  trunk,  I  found  the  reason.  I  sup 
pose,  from  my  hesitation  and  having  so  much 
luggage,  they  took  me  for  a  "  torpedo  woman  "  or 
some  kind  of  a  fire-critter;  and  I  did  not  blame 
them,  I  was  so  stupid. 

I  had  a  nice  walk  round  town  next  day,  and 
at  four  we  left.  The  boat  was  crowded  and  my 
berth  was  right  over  the  engine,  so  it  was  pretty 
warm;  but  a  shower  came  in  the  night  and  gave 


158     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

me  a  wetting,  through  the  skylight,  which  cooled 
me  off.  We  arrived  about  seven  in  the  morning 
at  the  Fortress,  and  found  there  were  no  outside 
boats  for  two  or  three  days;  so  I  took  the  canal. 
It  rained  so  I  could  not  go  about  at  all,  excepting 
to  the  Provost's  and  Quartermaster's;  and  at  ten 
we  left  for  Norfolk.  In  two  hours  we  were  there 
and  had  to  fly  round  to  get  transportation,  as  the 
boat  was  ready  to  start.  It  still  rained,  and  I  was 
by  this  time  pretty  uncomfortable,  as  you  may 
believe.  In  fact,  I  never  before  started  from  home 
so  badly  prepared  for  a  journey;  I  had  nothing 
comfortable.  You  know  I  had  no  change  of  any 
thing.  The  boat  was  a  dirty  little  affair,  and  I 
was  so  glad  I  had  enough  of  my  own  to  eat. 

That  night  we  got  nearly  to  the  mouth  of  the 
canal,  where  we  found  a  gunboat  sunk,  and  a  big 
boat  jammed  with  her  in  attempting  to  pass.  It 
was  fast,  and  the  prospect  was  rather  dismal,  as 
her  own  machinery  was  powerless,  owing  to  the 
wheels  being  fast,  and  our  boat  seemed  too  small 
to  move  her;  but  they  put  on  steam,  bumped  at 
her  for  two  hours,  and  at  last  crowded  her  out. 
Then  we  changed  boats,  as  there  was  no  room  to 
turn.  She  still  had  to  poke  the  big  boat  out  of  the 
canal,  so  it  was  nearly  morning  before  we  started 
again. 

Dr.  Palmer's  Lieutenant-Colonel  Clark  was  on 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     159 

board ;  he  had  just  been  on  a  raid  into  Rebeldom, 
had  captured  all  the  forces  he  met,  together  with 
ninety  bales  of  cotton,  eight  wagons,  twenty  mules 
( he  had  to  shoot  those,  for  he  had  no  room  to  bring 
them  back)  ;  had  burned  a  great  quantity  of  stores, 
and  had  pitched  a  hundred  sacks  of  salt  into  the 
river.  He  had  to  work  in  a  hurry,  for  there  was 
a  large  force  in  reserve,  and  every  moment  he  was 
expecting  them.  His  force  was  very  small,  —  only 
two  or  three  hundred  in  all;  and  just  as  they 
were  off  the  Rebels  came  in  sight.  He  was  most 
proud  of  his  success,  and  well  he  might  be;  every 
one  here  praises  him. 

When  we  reached  Roanoke,  we  found  everybody 
in  great  excitement  there.  All  the  soldiers  had 
been  taken  away,  and  most  of  the  gunboats ;  also 
the  regular  boat  to  New  Berne.  So  again  we  had 
to  wait  till  two  that  night  before  the  mail-boat 
came  down  to  take  us.  I  wandered  about  the 
island  alone,  and  poked  into  many  shebangs.  One 
woman  was  just  eating  dinner,  and  invited  me  to 
partake.  I  was  cold  and  hungry  after  the  walk; 
and  although  the  tablecloth  was  a  salt  sack,  and 
dirty  at  that,  and  the  fork  had  but  one  prong,  and 
she  had  only  corn  bread  and  biled  pork  and  greens, 
I  laid  aside  fastidiousness  and  sat  with  her.  The 
coffee  really  did  taste  good,  though  the  sugar 
looked  dubious  and  there  was  no  milk.  But  it  was 


160     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

wet  and  warm,  washed  the  grub  down,  and  made 
the  old  lady  happy,  because  I  was  a  Northerner 
and  not  proud.  She  was  very  strong  Union,  had 
suffered  all  that  one  can,  was  seventy-four  years 
old,  and  had  not  one  cent  left  in  the  world.  Her 
clothes  she  buried  before  she  left,  and  was  next 
day  going  back  to  Plymouth  to  try  to  find  them. 
She  was  very  well  known  there,  and  liked;  and 
when  the  town  was  being  taken  two  officers,  know 
ing  her,  and  how  much  she  would  suffer  if  left, 
took  her  and  ran  down  to  the  boat,  she  being  the 
last  to  escape.  One  of  the  officers  was  captured. 
The  run  nearly  killed  the  old  lady,  she  said.  With 
the  fright  and  hurry,  her  breath  was  clean  gone, 
and  she  fell  down  helpless.  She  "  likes  us  Yanks 
enough." 

It  was  a  real  cold  day,  but  I  kept  walking;  it 
was  better  than  staying  in  the  lonely  boat  with 
nobody  but  two  "  China'ry  "  girls  to  stare  at  one. 
I  went  back  at  sundown,  and  the  old  lady  was 
so  anxious  for  fear  I  should  miss  the  way  (as  if 
one  could  in  that  little,  one-horse  town)  that  she 
went  to  the  boat  with  me.  I  was  sorry,  afterwards, 
that  I  did  not  take  her  on  board  and  give  her  some 
clothes ;  she  would  have  been  so  glad.  I  gave  her 
some  money  and  she  was  very  grateful. 

The  Sound  was  rough,  and  everybody  was  sick, 
and  there  were  no  berths  on  board.  The  benches, 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     1 6 1 

of  course,  were  as  hard  as  boards  could  make  them. 
In  fact,  the  last  bed  I  slept  on  till  I  got  here  was  at 
Baltimore.  The  night  before  I  passed  on  the  nar 
rowest  kind  of  a  seat,  all  "  booted  and  spurr'd,"  and 
the  consciousness  of  a  tumble  never  left  me. 

MOREHEAD  CITY,  December  25  [1864]. 

I  should  feel  "  meaner  than  pusley "  for  not 
having  written  if  I  had  not  a  tip-top  excuse.  I 
never  did  accomplish  so  much,  I  think,  in  one 
week  before.  Tuesday  brought  your  letter,  also 
the  box;  but  then  I  was  too  deep  in  Christmas 
preparations  to  think  of  anything  else.  You  know 
we  have  never  been  paid  yet.  The  black  women 
were  perfectly  destitute,  they  really  had  nothing 
to  wear,  —  and  such  unmitigated  growling.  So 
Doctor  said  I  had  better  take  some  bed-ticks  and 
give  them  dresses;  also  some  coarse  undercloth 
ing.  The  Sanitary,  furthermore,  had  given  me, 
a  long  time  ago,  some  bed-sacks  of  lapping.  I 
knew  it  was  no  use  to  give  them  anything  unmade, 
as  they  would  botch  it  so;  so  I  commenced  and, 
more  than  that,  executed  the  gigantic  undertaking 
of  making  the  clothing  all  up.  Now  that  was  a 
work.  I  sewed  literally  night  and  day.  Friday 
I  was  in  despair,  and  made  a  sewing-bee;  called 
all  the  neighbors  in,  and  so  by  night  got  nearly 
done. 

it 


1 62    Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

Besides  working  for  the  nigs,  I  had  all  those 
refugee  things  to  fix  up  and  arrange.  It  took 
some  judgment  to  parcel  them  out;  but  every 
thing  was  done  by  last  night.  Moreover,  the  box 
came  yesterday,  just  in  time  to  distribute. 

Our  harbor  has  been  full  of  the  fleet.  It  was 
splendid :  sixty  ships  and  eight  monitors.  They 
sailed  out  Friday  and  Saturday  week  for  Wilming 
ton.  Doctor  took  us  down  to  see  them,  and  we 
went  on  board  the  double-turreted  monitor,  the 
Monadnock.  How  I  wish  you  could  have  seen  it! 
I  don't  see  how  anything  could  hurt  her ;  —  four 
feet  of  wood,  and  seven  inches  of  wrought  iron, 
and  such  turrets,  and  such  guns !  The  shells  were 
fifteen  inches  and  they  carried  five  miles,  sure. 
Well,  they  all  sailed  out  and  we  expected,  Sunday, 
to  hear  the  attack,  for  though  it 's  ninety  miles 
we  can  hear  them;  but  no  guns  came. 

Tuesday  the  transports,  with  General  Butler's 
whole  force,  commenced  coming  in  for  coal  and 
water;  they  had  been  lying  off  Wilmington  six 
teen  days,  on  half  rations,  expecting  the  fleet.  Of 
course  there  was  somebody  wrong,  as  usual.  The 
men  were  suffering  terribly,  crowded  into  the 
ships,  expecting  to  be  only  five  days  and  not 
allowed  to  bring  even  a  change  of  clothes,  not  a 
knapsack  even;  all  was  to  be  sent  after  them. 
They  had  waited,  as  I  say,  sixteen  days,  and  many 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      163 

were  sick.  Then  we  had  an  awful  storm  and  the 
coldest  weather  I  've  ever  known  here ;  so  many 
of  them  were  frostbitten.  The  ships  were  brought 
to  the  wharf,  one  by  one,  and  the  men  allowed  to 
land  while  the  ships  were  cleaned.  They  were  like 
wild  men,  and  no  one  could  blame  them.  Our 
hospital  was  full  of  them,  wanting  everything,  — 
officers  and  men  alike;  for  the  little  that  was  to 
be  bought  in  these  stores  was  sold  at  once. 

The  day  of  my  "  bee  "  I  was  sitting  here  with 
a  room  full  of  women,  when  who  should  come  in 
but  Dr.  Barnes  (medical  inspector  of  the  whole 
troops  here)  ;  I  was  so  glad  to  see  him,  and  he 
seemed  pleased,  too.  He  stayed  to  tea,  and  was 
too  glad  to  get  something  to  eat;  for  they  had 
had  nothing  but  salt  pork  and  hard  tack  for  many 
days.  He  said  it  was  the  first  "  square  "  meal  he  'd 
eaten  for  a  long  while.  He  appealed  to  the  benev 
olent  ladies  of  Lexington,  said  he  remembered 
them,  and  claimed  their  charity;  for  he  was  both 
lousy  and  dirty,  and  did  not  even  blush  to  own  it. 
He  left  that  for  General  Butler  to  do,  who  got 
them  into  that  condition.  I  had  nothing  for  him 
but  a  clean  handkerchief;  but  Dr.  Palmer  gave 
me  a  suit  of  "  Sanitary "  for  him,  and  he  went 
away  rejoicing. 

They  sailed  yesterday  afternoon,  so  are  now 
fighting.  We  hear  the  guns  all  day  very  plainly; 


1 64     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

the  firing  is  continuous.  The  news  has  come  that 
Fort  Fisher  has  surrendered,  and  the  troops  are 
landing.  I  suppose  by  this  you  will  have  heard  of 
the  trick  played  on  them  of  the  ship  being  chased, 
rigged  like  an  English  vessel,  loaded  with  powder. 
Friday  night  it  was  accomplished;  we  felt  and 
heard  the  report  here;  it  must  have  been  terrible 
there.  Every  one  started  from  sleep;  the  report 
is  that  it  shattered  the  town  awfully.1  We  are  all 
so  anxious  here  to  know  the  result  of  to-day's 
fighting.  It  would  be  a  nice  Christmas  gift  to 
the  Nation  when  we  could  gain  that  Secesh  place.2 

Monday  [December  26]. 

I  was  stopped  yesterday,  for  Kitty  P.  came  for 
me  to  go  sailing ;  and  then  in  the  evening  we  went 
to  the  negro  meeting,  where  we  laughed  our  fill. 
How  I  wish  you  could  go  to  a  real  nig  meeting 
and  hear  them  exhort.  One  man  kept  asking  if 
we  did  not  hear  the  "  strumpets  of  de  Lord  a- 
calling  and  a-calling :  '  I  hears  the  strumpets  all 
round  me,  Bress  de  Lord  forever.' '  Then  he 
"  prayed  de  Lord  to  fire  up  his  coal ;  "  I  guess  he 
is  a  fireman.  To-day  I  'm  having  a  grand  row 
with  the  nigs.  They  got  so  stupid  and  behind 
hand  I  've  sent  two  off,  and  the  work  drags. 

1  As  a  matter  of  fact,  it  was  a  complete  failure. 

2  The  Union  forces  were  repelled  at  Fort  Fisher  on  December 
25,  1864,  but  took  the  fort  by  assault  on  January  15,  1865. 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      165 

MOREHEAD  CITY,  January,  1865. 

They  say  the  paymaster  comes  to-morrow,  and 
will  pay  us  four  months  if  we  will  sign  four 
months'  rolls;  but  all  declare  they  won't.  It  will 
soon  now  be  twelve  months'  pay  due  us.  Is  n't  it 
real  mean  ?  It  is  so  in  no  other  department.  Some 
of  the  men  have  such  pitiful  letters  from  their 
families,  wanting  everything  and  blaming  them, 
saying  that  other  women  must  get  their  money. 
I  see  a  good  many  swollen  faces  after  the  mail 
comes  in;  and  some  of  the  letters  make  me  cry, 
too.  There  is  certainly  money  somewhere.  Some 
lay  it  to  the  paymaster,  who  is  speculating  in  the 
coupons,  and  some  charge  poor  Butler  with  the 
whole  sin. 

MOREHEAD  CITY,  Thursday,  January  [?  19],  1865. 

Happy !  Two  hundred  wounded  and  I  the  only 
wound-dresser  in  the  ward;  they  are  just  arriving. 
I  shall  have  all  I  can  do  now,  and  the  best  kind, 
too!  Send  me  a  box  of  all  you  know  I  want  for 
wounded  men,  especially  rags  and  long  bandages. 

MOREHEAD  CITY,  Sunday,  January  [?29],  1865. 

I  have  forty-four  beds.  I  have  taken  the  ward 
just  back  of  the  carriage  house,  Ward  6.  It  is 
right  clean,  one  of  the  best  of  the  lot,  and  I  have 
such  good  attendants  and  have  everything  about 
my  own  way.  Dr.  Palmer  has  much  more  faith 


1 66     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

in  me,  of  course,  than  I  deserve;  but  I  can't  help 
seeing  myself  that  there  never  was  a  ward  of  badly 
wounded  men  doing  so  well  as  these;  he  can't  say 
enough  about  it.  I  am  sure  of  one  thing,  that  I 
have  lost  nothing  in  being  down  here;  my  judg 
ment  is  clearer,  and  my  nerves  are  steadier  than 
ever. 

How  I  wished  to-day  after  I  was  ready  for  in 
spection  that  you  could  have  looked  in  and  seen  us 
all,  —  the  men  so  jolly  and  clean  and  comfortable. 
They  look  to  me  for  everything.  Doctor  has  so 
much  to  attend  to  that  he  really  leaves  more  to 
me  than  he  ought ;  so  they  think  I  'm  supreme. 
Sometimes  he  does  n't  come  in  all  day,  unless  I 
send  for  him. 

How  you  would  like  one  old  Englishman  I  have ; 
his  arm  is  amputated  at  the  elbow,  and  such  a  job 
never  was  done  before.  It  is  meant  for  a  flap, 
and  I  guess  they  took  the  whole  meat  down  to  the 
hand  and  just  rolled  it  up  and  sewed  it  there.  He 
is  so  enthusiastic  about  the  battle.  It  was  a  splen 
did  charge,  taking  that  fort  [Fisher]  ;  the  men 
were  glorious.  He  was  not  wounded  until  just 
as  they  were  entering;  he  had  just  got  upon  the 
parapet.  His  Captain  ran  up  to  him;  he  said: 
"  Never  mind,  Captain,  this  is  worth  an  arm, 
we  've  beat  'em.  If  we  had  gone  back  as  we  did 
before,  I  would  have  wished  it  was  my  life.  I  '11 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      1 67 

pull  through  it;"  and  he  has,  sure  enough.  One 
of  my  men  has  been  wounded  in  six  different 
battles ;  such  a  banged-up  fellow  you  never  saw. 
Now  he  has  a  bullet  through  the  wrist  and  one 
through  the  side;  he  is  very  sick,  but  is  so  brave 
about  it.  I  like  to  take  care  of  such  men. 

At  first  I  had  some  Rebels  in  my  ward;  but 
I  made  the  doctor  take  them  out  and  fill  the 
ward  up  with  Union.  The  Rebels  make  me  so 
mad,  and  are  so  presuming,  too.  It  was  always 
"Madam,  will  you  look  at  my  wound?"  Now 
I  did  n't  want  to  see  their  wounds,  unless  they 
were  going  to  die  from  them.  You  can't  tell  how 
wicked  that  book 1  has  made  me  toward  them.  I 
can't  be  good,  and  it  makes  me  furious  to  see  them 
treated  just  as  well  as  our  men.  The  only  way  I 
could  spite  them  was  to  give  them  one  less  blanket 
than  ours  had.  One  little  boy  I  keep ;  he  declared 
before  all  the  Rebels  that  he  and  all  his  family 
were  always  Union,  that  he  never  wanted  to  fight, 
was  a  conscript  and  was  glad  to  get  away  from 
them.  He  said :  "  I  know  if  they  get  me  again  I 
shall  catch  it  for  saying  this,  but  I  '11  never  go 
back  to  them,  I  'd  rather  die  here."  When  we 
were  having  the  others  moved,  he  begged  me  not 
to  send  him  with  them.  "  I  shall  die  sure  if  I 
leave  you,  Mrs.  Woe"  (that  is  a  hard  name). 

1  There  is  no  other  reference  to  show  what  "book"  is  meant. 


1 68     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

But  my  most  interesting  patient  is  a  man  who 
has  had  resection  of  the  larger  bone  of  the  left 
arm.  He  is  such  a  splendid  fellow.  He  has  the 
rheumatism  in  both  legs,  so  he  can't  move  them, 
and  ought  to  be  cross  as  a  bear;  but  instead  of 
that  just  looks  like  a  saint.  He  is  married,  and  I 
have  to  write  his  letters,  and  he  dictates  so  love- 
lily.  By  the  way,  there  never  was  a  prettier  room 
than  mine.  It  is  too  lovely  (I  mean  for  down 
here).  My  decorations  are  so  jolly,  and  my  dog 
barks  all  night,  and  altogether  I  have  a  nice  life, 
and  if  we  only  could  have  warm  weather  my  cup 
would  be  quite  full. 

I  must  tell  you  about  the  war  between  our  two 
chaplains.  It  is  too  funny.  B.,  the  old  man,  is 
a  presidential  chaplain,  he  says;  the  other,  L.,  is 
some  side  branch.  I  don't  understand  how  he 
comes  in;  but  they  are  so  jealous  of  each  other. 
First  one  orders  the  house  closed  when  the  other 
is  going  to  preach,  and  then  the  other  retaliates; 
so  between  them  we  get  no  preaching.  Last  Sun 
day  night  B.  ordered  the  fire  and  the  lights  put 
out.  L.  pitched  into  him  and  then  complained  to 
Dr.  Palmer.  Old  man  denied  his  guilt;  so  Dr. 
Palmer  ordered  them  both  before  him  at  eleven 
next  day.  Each  refused  to  meet  the  other;  but 
Doctor  told  them  unless  they  obeyed  he  would 
order  them  under  arrest.  So  they  came,  sword 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     169 

in  hand.  Doctor  could  not  get  in  even  a  side  cut. 
At  last  he  got  the  floor  for  a  moment,  and  then 
he  told  them  he  never  had  too  much  faith  in  Chris 
tian  doings,  etc.,  but  now  what  little  he  had  was 
destroyed.  "  He  was  about  sick  now  of  any  chap 
lain,  and  unless  they  stopped  immediately  he  would 
report  them  both  at  Washington.  It  was  a  dis 
grace,  etc."  He  ran  them  hard  for  an  hour,  until 
both  promised  to  do  better  in  future. 

Next  day  a  man  was  to  be  buried.  B.  waited 
at  the  office  gate  to  join  the  escort,  instead  of  going 
to  the  dead  house.  L.  got  the  start  of  him,  was 
on  the  spot,  and  came  along  booted  and  spurred. 
B.  flew  out,  ordered  him  off,  etc.  L.,  having  the 
fear  of  the  law,  meekly,  but  with  black  looks,  dis 
mounted  and  proceeded,  with  the  help  of  another 
man,  to  boost  old  B.  on ;  then  the  stirrups  were  too 
long,  so  they  must  be  fixed.  All  this  time  the 
dead  man  and  escort  were  waiting.  Finally,  when 
all  was  adjusted,  the  cortege  started ;  and  then  B. 
found  riding  was  not  so  easy  as  it  looked,  and 
wobbled  about  in  the  saddle  till  he  nearly  rolled 
off.  One  of  the  bearers  came  to  his  help,  led  the 
beast,  and  held  the  rider  stiff.  So  at  last  the  pro 
cession  passed  out  of  sight.  I  thought  we  must 
die  laughing.  B.  was  "  poorly  "  and  quite  lame 
for  two  or  three  days  after  that  ride. 

Yesterday  L.'s  removal  came,  so  B.  is  bigger 


1 70     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

than  a  gobbler  to-day,  talks  about  his  stupendous 
duties,  etc.;  but  when  the  bugle  sounded  for 
church  the  poor  old  thing's  ears  didn't  do  their 
duty,  and  his  watch  had  been  forgotten  to  be 
wound;  so  when  the  people  had  sat  for  half  an 
hour,  they  went  home.  When  nearly  an  hour  had 
passed,  he  scrambled  off  himself  to  church  and 
found  it  empty;  he  waited  another  hour  before 
he  knew  he  was  too  late.  This  was  a  poor  begin 
ning  to  his  "  stupendous  duties." 

MOREHEAD  CITY,  February  7,  1865. 

I  cannot  mention  anything  in  the  box  that  I 
do  not  particularly  want,  especially  the  eatables 
(which  you  will  believe).  I  wish  you  could  have 
looked  in  and  seen  us  after  we  had  dragged  out 
the  last  parcel  and  were  resting  from  our  work. 
We  all  sat  on  the  floor  and  commenced  eating. 
Doctor  would  taste  of  everything,  and  how  we 
did  eat!  We  had  to  open  just  a  bottle  of  that 
currant  wine;  it  was  so  good,  and  we  felt  pretty 
tired,  if  we  were  not  sick.  After  all,  we  could  not 
decide  which  cake  was  best,  or  whether  the  cake 
was  better  than  the  cheese,  or  the  pie  best  of  all; 
and  you  will  no  doubt  be  disgusted  to  know  that 
we  ate  a  whole  one  between  us. 

Monday  evening  I  gave  a  little  feast  in  my 
room,  had  the  Palmers  and  some  others,  and 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     171 

myself.  I  made  chocolate,  and  Mrs.  Palmer  made 
some  hot  biscuits.  You  can't  know  how  they 
tasted  with  the  butter;  every  one  agreed  in  de 
claring  they  never  tasted  anything  like  them. 
C.  had  two  chickens  roasted  and  shot  six  robins. 
I  never  saw  people  enjoy  a  supper  so  much; 
one  must  live  down  here  and  as  we  do  to  know 
that.  We  had  the  supper  in  C.'s  room;  he  took 
out  his  bed,  and  the  table  looked  splendid.  We 
had  celery,  too;  and  the  pies  and  cake  and  olives 
and  cheese  and  pickles  could  n't  be  beat,  —  but, 
oh,  that  bread  and  butter!  After  supper  we 
played  euchre  and  whist  till  quite  late;  so  you 
see  it  was  a  real  Northern  affair,  and  ought  to 
have  been  noticed  in  the  papers. 

My  refugee  treasures  are  priceless.  I  am 
packing  such  a  nice  box  to  send  down  to  the 
light-house ;  everything  pretty  I  've  reserved  for 
my  little  Caledonia  Royal,  the  keeper's  youngest 
daughter,  and  the  little  half-witted  girl,  Mary 
Francis  G.  I  've  sent  Mary  Francis  warm  clothes 
and  some  of  the  playthings.  I  sent  the  ball  to  her 
little  brother.  He  is  a  nice  little  boy,  about  three, 
but  smokes  all  the  time.  Mrs.  G.  says  it  costs  her 
more  than  a  dollar  a  week  to  keep  her  and  the 
children  in  tobacco.  Send  on  your  missionaries! 

My  ward  is  really  doing  splendidly.  I  have 
lost  only  one  man,  and  that  was  inevitable ;  nothing 


1 72     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

could  have  saved  him ;  his  whole  spine  was  affected 
by  a  grape  shot.  All  the  amputations  are  nearly 
healed.  These  barracks  are  so  good  on  account 
of  ventilation.  They  have  been  rather  cold,  but 
I  guess  our  worst  cold  is  over,  and  there  is  no 
more  smell  of  wounds  than  if  I  had  none,  though 
there  are  forty-four,  and  almost  all  bad  cases. 
We  have  had  any  quantity  of  inspectors,  directors, 
etc. ;  all  are  so  pleased  with  our  hospital.  Orders 
have  come  to-day  to  extend  its  capacity  to  six 
hundred,  immediately,  by  tents;  so  to-morrow 
they  will  commence  putting  them  up.  This  looks 
like  work  in  North  Carolina;  and  the  constant 
arrival  of  troops  makes  it  so  animated  here. 
Twelve  hundred  of  the  Constructing  Corps  ar 
rived  Sunday,  and  are  camped  close  to  us,  —  pon 
toons,  and  mules  (400)  that  roar  all  the  time. 
We  have  to  keep  a  guard  all  around  the  grounds 
to  prevent  the  rascals  from  stealing  everything. 
I  expect  to  have  all  the  work  I  want;  for  the 
care  of  the  wash-room  is  no  light  duty,  with  so 
many  clothes  to  look  after.  I  expect  never  to  have 
a  minute  when  we  get  full. 

February  9,  1865. 

C.  and  Doctor  have  been  off  the  past  two  days, 
trying  to  find  a  place  to  pitch  our  tents,  as  it 
is  decreed  that  we  are  really  to  leave  here  and 
tent  it  somewhere.  They  have  about  decided  on 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     173 

a  place  a  mile  out  of  Beaufort.  How  I  do  hate 
it !  Had  it  been  the  beach  [on  Shackelford  Island, 
where  the  summer  camp  had  been],  I  'd  have  been 
satisfied,  though  the  impossibility  of  transportation 
made  that  useless  to  think  of ;  but  Beaufort  is  such 
a  fleay,  dirty-smelling  hole,  and  full  of  Secesh  and 
rum-holes,  and  gambling  of  all  kinds  going  on 
there,  the  whole  thing  will  become  demoralized 
like  that  Beaufort  hospital.  Doctor  looks  anxious, 
and  I  am  worn  enough.  As  we  lived  last  summer 
with  every  convenience,  tent  life  was  jolly.  We 
were  perfectly  isolated  and  so  independent;  but 
it  is  another  matter  to  live  in  a  crowd,  as  we  shall 
there;  it  is  like  living  on  the  housetops. 

The  outrage  of  turning  us  out  seems  greater 
every  day,  and  the  spite  of  it  is  too  much.  To 
think  that  to-day  a  surgeon  of  a  nig  regiment 
has  come  in  and  taken  one  of  our  barracks  (mine 
that  I  moved  my  wounded  men  from)  and  filled 
it  up  with  his  sick  men ;  and  yet  they  say  they  must 
have  them  for  military  purposes,  when  we  could 
have  and  should  have  taken  the  same  men  if  we 
had  stayed.  I  can't  see  the  difference  or  the 
justice. 

I  had  a  letter  from  one  of  my  wounded  men  at 
New  Berne,  and  he  put  on  the  direction  "not  to  be 
pronounced  like  the  numeral,  but  literally  o  n  e." 
It  seems  they  have  to  dress  each  other's  wounds 


174    Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

now.  You  will  be  glad  that  they  had  not  to  sleep 
on  the  ground,  as  we  first  heard ;  the  sick  really 
did,  but  this  academy  is  a  wounded  ward  and  kept 
alone  for  that,  and  they  had  no  wounds,  so  it  was 
fortunately  empty. 

Perhaps  you  will  be  glad  to  know,  too,  that 
Dr.  Hand,  medical  director,  sent  me  word  by 
Dr.  Palmer  that  his  nine  surgeons,  after  exam 
ining  those  wounds,  said  they  had  never  seen 
wounds  so  well  dressed  and  such  bad  wounds  so 
soon  getting  well;  and,  for  himself,  that  I  was 
the  best  wound-dresser  in  the  country.  I  feel 
uncommonly  satisfied,  as  these  men  a  year  ago 
were  all  opposed  to  female  nurses  and  "  poohed  " 
at  the  idea  of  one  being  useful.  It  is  rumored  to 
day  that  Longstreet  is  at  Goldsboro'  with  fifteen 
thousand  men;  if  so,  we  must  soon  have  more 
wounded,  as  twenty  thousand  have  left  New  Berne 
these  last  few  days.  They  have  not  even  a  provost- 
guard  left  there;  all  are  taken  to  the  front. 

How  I  shall  mourn  for  my  dear  little  room ;  it 
looks  so  friendly  to-night.  You  'd  die  with  the 
traps,  but  they  are  such  treasures  to  me,  and  each 
has  its  story.  My  owl  looks  down  with  approving 
eyes  as  I  write.  My  crow  almost  caws,  and  my 
furniture  is  all  so  jolly,  if  it  is  pine  boards  cov 
ered  with  an  old  dress. 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     175 

MOREHEAD  CITY,  February  18  [1865]. 

I  want  to  tell  you  of  the  arrival  of  the  box, 
which  came  last  night,  much  to  my  joy  and  the 
comfort  of  my  patients.  Rags  had  become  so 
scarce  I  was  picking  up  the  bits  blowing  about  the 
land.  I  never  was  in  such  straits  before.  The 
Sanitary  Department  had  not  even  one  of  their 
old  bandages  to  spare  me.  No  delicacies  ever 
looked  so  good  to  me  as  those  rags. 

We  are  terribly  excited  here  just  now;  they 
threaten  to  break  up  the  hospital  and  turn  us  all 
over  to  Beaufort.  How  mad  we  shall  be  to  go  to 
those  dirty  traps;  but  Sherman's  Commissary 
General  is  here,  this  is  to  be  the  supply  base,  he 
has  already  taken  possession  of  most  all  the  pri 
vate  buildings  outside  the  grounds,  and  now  wants 
these.  Won't  it  be  too  bad  to  have  such  desecra 
tion  ?  However,  I  Ve  hopes  it  will  take  more  than 
the  General  of  New  Berne  to  do  it. 

My  wounded  men  are  doing  splendidly.  So  far 
we  have  lost  only  one,  which  is  surprising,  for 
I  never  saw  worse  wounds;  but  I  guess  it  did  us 
all  good  not  to  have  any  wounds  for  so  long;  we 
take  all  the  better  care  of  them  now.  A  good  many 
Rebs  have  died,  for  they  are  in  bad  condition  every 
way;  and  then  I  never  have  done  any  of  them, 
except  the  two  in  my  ward,  —  the  little  boy  with 
out  the  arm  and  the  carotid-artery  man.  These 


1 76     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

two  everybody  said  must  die,  so  I  thought  I  'd 
make  them  live.  It 's  the  little  one  who  calls  me 
Mrs.  Woe;  the  old  Englishman  calls  me  Mrs. 
Hoe;  the  man  without  the  foot,  Roe;  and  the 
man  with  the  arm,  Mrs.  No;  as  to  all  the  other 
names,  I  can't  tell  them;  everything  which  has 
an  O  in  it  seems  to  fit.  They  are  a  grateful  set 
of  boys  as  ever  lived,  and  I  feel  never  tired  of 
doing  for  them.  In  fact,  we  all  have  to  spring" 
night  and  day  almost;  we  never  had  so  much 
before.  I  wish  I  could  get  rid  of  the  old  laundry ; 
but  the  fear  of  some  disagreeable  old  cat  makes 
me  rather  do  it  myself.  I  mean  some  day,  though, 
to  take  a  little  walk;  it's  long  now  since  I've  been 
out  of  the  gate. 

MOREHEAD  CITY,  March  i  [1865]. 

I  did  not  write  Sunday,  and  how  could  I  ?  Such 
discouraging  news  as  we  got  that  day.  I  just 
could  do  nothing  after  Doctor  came  and  said  our 
hospital  was  to  be  broken  up.  Is  it  not  too  bad? 
Every  day  since,  the  news  has  been  fluctuating: 
now  it  is  to  be  broken  up  altogether,  —  now  trans 
ferred  to  Beaufort,  —  to  New  Berne,  and  the  last 
news  to-day  is  that  it  is  to  be  transferred  bodily 
to  Smithville  (or  field),  opposite  Fort  Fisher,  on 
the  seashore.  Now  this  may  all,  or  part,  or  none, 
be  true;  but  still  we  are  in  an  exercised  state  of 
mind,  to  say  the  least.  We  were  just  all  so  satis- 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      1 77 

fied  and  don't  want  any  change,  and  everything 
is  going  on  so  well.  I  never  in  all  my  hospital 
life  was  so  nearly  happy;  everything  and  every 
body  is  just  right.  I  suppose  you  are  tired  to 
death  of  my  wounded,  but  how  can  I  ever  tire  of 
them  ?  I  never  saw  such  wonderful  results  before. 
We  have  not  lost  a  man,  though  we  had  such 
terrible  cases;  and  when  I  look  around  and  see 
them  all  so  cheerful  and  grateful,  I  am  glad  I 
am  strong  enough  to  be  an  army  nurse.  I 
expect  you  will  think  I  am  the  greatest  egotist 
in  the  world;  but  how  can  I  help  being  a  little 
exultant  ? 

We  have  all  sorts  of  visitors.  —  Dear  me,  one 
more  telegram  has  just  come  that  we  are  to  move 
at  once,  to-morrow  morning;  everything  must  be 
moved,  everything  packed,  the  Commissary  takes 
possession  at  once.  We  are  ordered  to  New  Berne. 
How  I  do  hate  it,  there  of  all  places;  I  can't  tell 
you  how  I  feel.  What  disposition  they  will  make 
of  me  I  don't  know;  if  possible,  I  shall  stick  to 
Doctor. 

MOREHEAD  CITY,  March  5  [1865]. 

The  final  telegram  came,  and  we  were  to  leave 
for  New  Berne  Thursday  morning  at  eight  o'clock ; 
cars  were  to  be  punctual,  and  every  patient  must 
be  at  once  transferred  to  Foster  Hospital.  I  was 
up  at  four  o'clock;  and  by  eight  had  every  ward 

12 


178     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

dressed  and  ready,  and  those  who  were  to  be  re 
moved  on  beds  made  comfortable  for  the  journey. 
I  rushed  to  my  room,  not  even  waiting  for  my 
breakfast,  to  make  myself  ready  to  accompany 
them;  for  I  was  to  go  and  remain  over  night,  at 
least,  to  see  that  they  were  made  comfortable. 
All  the  while  the  packing  was  going  on,  —  all 
beds  were  returned  to  the  store-room;  all  linen 
sent  to  the  wash-room;  all  medicines  packed  and 
stored:  such  were  the  orders.  It  was  confusion 
of  the  worst  sort,  such  hurrying  about,  such 
anxious  waiting. 

So  we  waited  and  waited  till  four ;  when  a  tele 
gram  came  that  the  patients  were  not  to  be  sent 
till  the  next  morning.  Now  see  again  the  con 
fusion!  The  medical  director  arrived,  beds  were 
again  unpacked,  fresh  linen  issued,  supper  pre 
pared,  and,  although  no  one  wanted  to  leave, 
wretchedness  and  tiredness  were  on  every  face. 
You  know  how  hard  it  is  to  wait.  Some  that  had 
not  been  out  of  bed  before,  excepting  long  enough 
to  have  it  made,  had  been  all  day  sitting  up  and 
were  fairly  sick  by  the  time  I  could  get  them  in 
bed.  That  evening,  Dr.  M.,  the  medical  director, 
said  he  thought,  after  all,  the  worst  sick  and  all 
the  wounded  would,  for  a  time  at  least,  be  left; 
so  I  went  right  down  and  told  the  men;  you 
can't  know  how  glad  they  were. 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     1 79 

Next  morning  I  went  in  to  dress  them,  when 
Dr.  Palmer  came  and  asked  me  how  many  it  would 
be  safe  to  take.  I  told  him  of  Dr.  M.'s  promise; 
he  said  they  had  another  telegram  ordering  all  that 
could  travel  to  come  at  once.  He  took  all  but 
twelve  with  him ;  so  short  a  notice  that  I  had  not 
time  to  dress  half  their  wounds.  Then,  when 
packed  in  the  cars,  they  lay  there  four  hours  with 
out  dinner  before  they  were  finally  taken  to  New 
Berne.  Again  the  ward  was  all  torn  up,  as  that 
one,  being  more  isolated,  was  wanted  for  the 
Quartermasters ;  so  I  took  Division  2,  and  worked 
all  day  to  get  it  in  order;  still  Doctor  made  me 
hold  on. 

Yesterday  (Saturday)  I  had  everything  ready, 
but  a  big  rain  came  up;  and  to-day  it  is  too  cold 
to  move  them;  so  they  still  lie  in  the  old,  dis 
mantled  ward. 

Meantime  I  am  more  than  discouraged;  I  am 
utterly  disgusted  with  the  selfishness  of  these  men. 
Was  ever  such  an  outrage  on  our  soldiers?  The 
wards  that  have  been  emptied  of  our  poor  sick  and 
wounded  fellows  were  immediately  filled  with  the 
dirtiest  niggers  you  ever  laid  eyes  on,  —  not  even 
employees  of  the  army,  but  hangers-on  and  fol 
lowers  from  the  Tennessee  and  Sherman's  army; 
such  dirt  and  filth  cannot  be  equalled.  The  third 
ward  is  filled  with  ox-bows,  tent  poles,  and  wagon 


i  80     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

tires,  —  hundreds  of  old  traps.  Not  a  white  man 
or  even  a  black  soldier  brought  in;  the  whole  is 
for  spite.  The  Quartermasters  and  Commissary 
saw  with  envious  eyes  the  front  row  of  buildings, 
all  houses  built  before  the  war,  and  claimed  them 
as  quarters  for  themselves.  Of  course  the  doctor 
refused ;  then  they  set  to  work  to  take  everything, 
wrote  to  General  Schofield  that  they  were  all  needed 
for  military  purposes,  and  wanted  his  order  at 
once.  He,  knowing  nothing  of  the  truth,  sent  it, 
and  now  we  have  been  staving  them  off  just  to 
get  time  till  he  comes,  which  he  was  expected  to 
do  to-day  to  see  for  himself  and  decide  for  us. 
Meantime,  when  the  hundred  and  fifty  who  were 
sent  from  here  arrived  in  New  Berne,  four  hundred 
men  had  already  arrived  from  different  regiments, 
and  only  provision  made  for  our  lot;  they  com 
ing  last,  the*  most  of  them  had  to  lie  round  in 
churches  and  anywhere  they  could  settle,  most  of 
them  without  even  blankets.  If  this  is  justice,  I 
hate  it  forevermore. 

Dr.  Palmer  went  to  New  Berne  last  night  to 
return  to-day;  but  instead  of  him  comes  a  tele 
gram  to  be  ready  to  store  seventy  hospital  tents. 
Now,  whether  this  means  breaking  up  here  or 
extending  this  one,  we  can  none  of  us  guess  till 
he  comes  back  in  the  morning.  Such  a  state  of 
uncertainty  as  we  are  in  is  decidedly  unpleasant. 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     1 8 1 

The  town  is  full  of  troops,  and  the  hubbub  outside 
is  worse  than  in.  These  officers  keep  coming  to 
the  houses  and  saying,  "  When  will  this  be 
vacated?"  so  arrogantly.  They  stand  before  our 
doors  and  say  what  they  intend  to  do  when  they 
get  the  quarters.  If  they  are  remonstrated  with, 
they  fall  back  on  "  We  're  from  Sherman's  army," 
as  if  that  could  cover  all  enormities.  I  am  getting 
about  sick  of  Sherman's  army,  if  this  is  the  way 
we  are  to  be  treated  by  them. 

My  men  are  all  ill  to-day ;  the  news  from  their 
comrades  and  expectation  of  being  served  in  the 
same  way  are  enough  to  make  them  so.  One  of 
them  died  last  night ;  we  had  never  thought  of  his 
dying  from  his  wound,  but  the  excitement  of 
Thursday  and  thinking  he  had  got  to  leave  his 
doctor  and  nurse  were  too  much  for  him.  They 
all  cried  so  much  that  morning,  and  two  men  who 
were  taken  away  on  stretchers  went  weeping  like 
children ;  think  now  what  a  trial  for  me,  and  of  my 
anxiety  about  them !  Two  more  I  have  very  little 
hope  of ;  they  have  both  failed  so  these  two  days, 
and  my  carotid-artery  man,  that  I  was  so  bound 
should  live,  grows  worse  every  hour.  I  was  in 
hopes  he  would  live,  though  he  was  a  Rebel,  for 
Doctor's  sake ;  and  I  am  sure  he  would,  except  for 
this ;  but  he  was  foolish  enough  to  believe  that  no 
one  could  save  him  but  me,  and  he  cries  about  all 


182     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

the  time.  He  does  n't  give  his  old  answer  to  my 
morning  greeting,  "  I  'm  right  piert,  madam  "  any 
longer;  just  his  lips  tremble,  and  he  says,  "  I  'm 
bad  off,  I  am  losing  courage."  I  hate  to  be  in  the 
ward  now,  but  still  I  do  my  best  to  cheer  them  up. 

In  the  interval  between  this  and  the  following 
letter  the  transfer  from  Morehead  to  Beaufort 
evidently  was  made. 

BEAUFORT,  N.  C.,  April  9,  1865. 

As  I  am  going  to  write  a  real  growling  note, 
I,  of  course,  don't  expect  it  to  be  read  except  in 
private  circles;  but  this  has  been  such  a  real 
Pandemonium  this  first  week  that  I  must  "  speak 
in  meeting."  I  told  you  last  Sunday  that  our 
dear  doctor  [Palmer]  had  left  for  Goldsboro'  for 
an  indefinite  time,  leaving  us  in  charge  of  a 
drunken,  ignorant,  bad  man  without  a  particle 
of  principle  or  judgment.  Well,  to  begin  with, 
Monday  he  did  not  rise  till  twelve  o'clock;  not 
another  surgeon  on  the  grounds  and  so  many 
sick  patients.  I  felt  equal  to  the  wounds;  but 
still,  as  I  had  two  cases  of  hemorrhage,  it  would 
be  rather  satisfactory  to  have  a  surgeon  one  could 
speak  to. 

Well,  I  never  had  a  surgeon  in  my  ward  of 
fifty  patients  till  Thursday,  when  Dr.  Salter, 
post-surgeon,  —  and  such  a  good  man,  —  came 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     183 

to  the  rescue.  I  met  him  and  told  him  how  it 
was;  as  he  is  a  great  friend  of  Dr.  Palmer's, 
he  quickly  volunteered  to  tend  the  wounded  for 
a  few  days.  He  was  needed  by  that  time,  as 
I  'd  given  all  the  medicine  I  had  in  the  ward, 
and,  of  course,  could  not  make  a  prescription. 
So  far,  good.  In  the  mean  time  C.  [attendant] 
has  been  very  sick,  not  so  bad  as  last  spring,  but 
sick  enough  to  need  constant  care.  He  pulled 
through  without  a  doctor;  I  knew  what  to  do  for 
him. 

I  told  you  a  telegram  had  come  that  we  were 
to  take  five  hundred  patients;  they  never  got 
here  till  to-night;  God  help  the  poor  souls  now. 
They  came  cold  and  hungry.  C.  went  to  the 
doctor  and  said,  "  These  men  must  have  some 
thing  to  eat  when  they  land,  they  have  been 
short  of  rations  all  this  time;"  and  he  answered, 
"  Damn  it,  a  man  can  live  a  week  without  eat 
ing."  But  C.  did,  for  all  that,  have  a  good  hot 
supper  for  them.  Only  a  hundred  have  landed; 
the  wind  blows  so  they  could  not  get  them  on 
the  lighters.  The  boat  lies  in  the  stream  two 
miles  off. 

But  this  is  not  the  worst;  there  are  a  hundred 
and  fifty  without  a  bed  or  blanket  to  sleep  on, 
and,  what  is  more,  no  prospect  of  one.  You  see 
what  they  have  to  expect,  —  those  other  four 


184     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

hundred  who  have  been  lying  seasick  and  heart 
sick  and  hungry  on  the  swash  for  two  or  three 
days.  Isn't  it  damnable?  The  churches  were 
ordered  to  be  taken  for  them,  but  no  other  pro 
vision  has  been  made.  Whether  it  is  the  fault 
of  medical  purveyor  or  director  I  can't  say;  but 
certain  it  is  there  is  no  one  here  to  make  an 
effort.  You  can't  know  our  loss  in  Dr.  Palmer; 
had  he  been  here,  all  would  have  been  right. 
There  are  seventy  tents  pitched  with  only  the 
sand  to  lie  on.  If  we  had  one  blanket  apiece,  it 
might  do;  but  we  have  not  one.  I  have  cried 
and  stormed  and  raved  till  now  I  have  come  to 
my  room  and  won't  even  hear  a  sound.  I  say, 
God  help  them;  and  the  drunken  wretch  has 
throughout  behaved  like  an  imbecile.  I  hope  he 
will  get  his  reward  when  the  war  is  over. 

Positively  this  week  has  been  worse  than  any 
Alexandria  doings.  I  could  not  begin  to  tell  you 
all  the  annoyances,  but  will  give  one  little  item : 
though  we  had  so  good  cause  for  rejoicing  [over 
Lee's  surrender],  still,  with  so  many  sick  men,  it 
was  no  time  to  illuminate  the  hospital,  especially 
this  one,  which  in  case  of  fire  has  only  one  nar 
row  stairway,  and  has,  in  the  third  story,  over 
a  hundred  patients;  but  between  him  and  C.  it 
must  be  done.  Just  as  the  lights  were  in  full 
blaze,  one  poor  fellow  went  to  heaven;  he  looked 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     185 

up  so  scared  and  then  lay  back  dead.  Another 
one  died  before  morning. 

After  the  lights  were  out,  the  doctor,  with  the 
crowd  generally  who  had  collected  around  the 
hospital,  composed  of  artisans,  navy  officers,  nig 
gers  who  were  impressed  with  a  guard  to  be  made 
to  sing,  and  all  nicely  drunk,  started  on  a  lark. 
They  went  all  over  town,  screaming  and  shout 
ing,  came  back  to  the  hospital  about  twelve,  woke 
up  all  the  patients,  then  went  to  Mrs.  Palmer's, 
who  was  alone  with  K.,  and  scared  her  out  of 
her  life,  came  back  at  one  again,  and  had  another 
row.  Finally  the  officer  of  the  day  came  and  told 
them  he  knew  his  duty  and  would  perform  it. 
They  were  for  fighting  him;  but  some  one  was 
wise  enough  to  advise  them  to  go  home;  so  at 
last  we  had  peace. 

I  don't  know  how  late  it  was  when  he  arose. 
I  did  not  see  him  till  morning,  when  he  borrowed 
my  key  to  the  store-room.  I  sent  it  by  the  boy; 
and  when  I  went  for  it,  he  had  given  it  to  C. 
with  orders  not  to  let  me  have  it  again.  My  own 
key !  I  'went  right  to  C.  and  took  it  from  him. 
I  told  him  not  to  dare  to  refuse  it.  Of  course 
he  gave  it  up,  for  he  knew  what  Dr.  Palmer 
would  say;  but  he  wanted  so  much  to  keep  it. 
I  should  like  to  see  any  one  get  it  again  but 
Dr.  Palmer. 


1 86     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

Now  comes  the  news,  through  him,  that  Doctor 
is  not  coming  back  and  that  we  are  to  have  a  new 
surgeon-in-charge.  I  am  in  despair.  The  im 
pression  is  that  Dr.  Palmer  is  to  have  a  hospi 
tal  at  Wilmington,  where  he  is  now.  If  he  is 
not  to  return,  you  will  have  the  pleasure  of  soon 
seeing  me  at  home,  for  my  experience  with  Dr. 
M.  has  quite  sickened  me  of  hospitals.  I  have 
had  such  good  surgeons  since  the  first,  and  have 
been  always  so  respected  that  it  is  hard  now  to 
get  a  bad  one. 

Now  you  know  I  am  an  old  grumbler  and  are 
disgusted  with  me;  but  I  have  not  told  you  nearly 
all;  enough,  however,  to  let  you  see  how  hateful 
this  week  has  been. 

Did  I  tell  you  about  General  Meigs  coming 
here  to  see  me,  and  how  polite  he  was?  Well, 
he  did.  Miss  Dix,  his  partner  and  friend,  had 
recommended  me  so  highly,  and  he  saw  our  need 
of  a  bathroom  and  of  various  other  things.  After 
he  had  written  the  order  for  these,  he  turned  to 
me  and  said :  "  Madam,  they  have  to  thank  you 
for  anything  that  is  done  for  this  hospital.  Miss 
Dix's  high  recommendation  of  you  alone  brought 
me  here;  tell  me  if  there  is  anything  else  I  can 
do  for  you."  Think  of  a  live  General,  with  stars 
and  all,  saying  that  to  me!  I  bet  I  felt  proud! 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     187 

BEAUFORT,  April  21,  Sunday  ("I  guess"). 

I  would  rather  be  in  bed  to-night  than  writing 
letters,  for  I  am  cold  as  ice  and  so  tired;  it  has 
been  a  miserable  kind  of  day;  it  took  so  long  to 
get  through  my  wards,  and  then  I  have  so  many 
little  things  to  see  to.  My  old  habit  of  playing 
off  Sunday  won't  do  now;  I  never  get  any  time, 
and  after  all  is  done  so  many  want  letters  writ 
ten  that  I  never  have  a  moment  in  my  room.  All 
my  leisure  to-day  has  been  spent  in  packing,  for 
I  don't  know  what  moment  Doctor  may  send  for 
me.  Dr.  Palmer,  I  mean;  and  I  want  to  be 
ready  when  his  summons  comes.  I  am  so  impa 
tient  to  be  off. 

He  wants  all  the  old  hands  he  can  get;  he  has 
a  thousand  patients  by  this,  and  only  green  hands, 
besides  C.,  and  W.,  the  chief  clerk.  I  think  Dr. 
Salter  was  real  good  to  give  them  up,  but  he  is 
such  a  true  friend  to  the  doctor.  God  knows 
what  would  have  become  of  us  during  the  M. 
reign  if  he  had  not  come  to  help  us  out.  I  shall 
sometime  tell  you  all  about  that  terrible  time.  I 
feel  too  indignant  now  to  talk  about  it,  but  I  'm 
more  down  on  whiskey  than  ever. 

This  has  been  a  long  week,  though  I  have  had 
so  much  to  do.  They  have  at  last  fitted  up  my 
linen  room,  and  we  had  a  large  requisition  of 
clothes  come,  and  I  have  just  made  order  there. 


1 88     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

It  is  a  job  to  lift  and  pack  this  heavy  linen,  but 
it  pays;  for  on  inspection  they  all  admire  the 
order  there.  We  got  a  splendid  woman  in  charge 
of  the  low  diet,  a  Mrs.  Bickerdyke.1  She  began 
with  the  war,  knows  all  about  cooking,  and  can 
cook  forty  things  at  once.  I  never  saw  such  a 
worker;  she  stirs  round  the  cook-house  with  a 
big  meat  fork  or  ladle  upraised,  and  looks  as  if 
she  would  annihilate  them  all;  but  there  is  no 
more  pilfering;  the  sick  men  get  all  their  dues 
while  she  is  around.  Yesterday  one  of  the  cooks 
stole  a  custard  pudding,  and,  though  she  had  a 
dozen  others,  she  missed  it  at  once,  and  stormed 
around  till  she  found  it.  Then  she  turned  on 
him;  when  he  said  he  laid  it  aside  for  a  sick 
officer,  he  "  got  it,"  -  first  for  the  lie  and  then 
for  the  steal.  She  knows  all  the  celebrities,  had 
charge  of  the  Western  and  Southern  departments, 
*knows  Sherman  well  and  Grant  too;  has  many 
notes  from  both.  She  is  the  most  independent 
woman  I  ever  knew;  altogether  she  is  a  char 
acter.  Miss  Dix  likes  her  very  much  and  urged 
her  coming  here  at  once.  She  goes  to  Smith- 
ville  as  soon  as  she  gets  this  shebang  running 
right. 

It  is  so  lonely  here  I  could  not  stand  it  long, 

1  See  Mary  A.  Livermore's  "My  Story  of  the  War"  [Hartford, 
1888],  p.  476. 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     189 

especially  with  the  terrible  calamity  that  has  be 
fallen  us  [Lincoln's  assassination]  ;  I  can  think 
of  nothing  else.  To-day  is  the  first  paper  I  have 
seen  with  any  account  of  it,  one  of  the  I7th. 
The  only  comfort  I  have,  when  any  calamity 
comes,  is  in  remembering  Gustav's  words:  "Now 
be  sure,  my  Molly,  Heaven  helps;"  and  out  of 
this  may  come  some  great  good.  The  sacrifice 
of  such  a  true,  good  man  may  be  necessary  to 
show  the  world  how  bad  the  South  is;  and,  then, 
he  was  perhaps  too  much  a  Christian  gentleman 
to  deal  justly  with  such  men.  Oh,  dear,  when 
will  the  end  come  and  what  will  it  be?  I  begin 
so  to  long  for  peace  and  to  be  at  home. 

BEAUFORT,  April  30  [1865]. 

This  has  been  such  a  long,  anxious  week,  wait 
ing  for  a  summons  from  Dr.  Palmer,  and  every 
moment  expecting  to  leave.  You  see,  in  anticipa 
tion  of  my  leaving  soon,  they  sent  all  my  wounded 
men  North  on  Tuesday,  and  I  had  not  even  the 
comfort  of  taking  care  of  them.  Lord  knows, 
though,  I  have  had  work  enough  to  do.  I  have 
just  had  shelves  put  in  the  linen  room  and  had 
order  to  make  there,  besides  crowding  two  weeks' 
washing  into  one,  which  has  been  hard  work,  for 
I  have  not  half  help  enough.  With  all  the  nig 
gers  here,  I  can't  get  enough  to  do  the  washing. 


1 90     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

I  must  be  there  nearly  all  my  time  to  keep  what 
I  have  at  the  tubs.  For  all  this  I  thought  the 
week  would  never  end.  I  packed  almost  every 
thing  the  first  of  the  week,  and  every  day  want 
something  which,  of  course,  lies  at  the  very  bot 
tom  of  the  trunk. 

The  guns  from  the  fort  in  memory  of  Lincoln 
were  sad  enough;  every  half  hour  their  solemn 
booming  came  to  us,  and  every  one  seemed  so 
impressed  by  them.  There  has  been  some  demon 
stration  in  this  miserable,  dirty  little  town,  a  black 
rag  now  and  then ;  but  the  show  is  very  scarce. 

The  town  is  cram-jam  full  of  returned  Secesh, 
all  swelling  about  in  their  uniforms,  swaggering 
as  usual,  saying  the  South  is  not  beaten  yet, 
it  is  just  unlooked-for  circumstances  that  have 
brought  her  where  she  is.  Would  n't  you  think 
they  had  had  enough  by  this  time?  There  are 
rows  every  day  among  the  returned  and  our  sol 
diers.  I  hate  the  very  sight  of  them. 

I  had  a  time  this  morning  with  one  of  the 
women.  Once  a  month  she  has  had  a  series  of 
hysteric  fits,  and  the  last  time  they  lasted  a  fort 
night,  with  constant  doctoring  and  some  other 
of  the  women  always  to  watch  her.  I  did  not 
know  the  trick,  and  when  they  came  on  yesterday, 
I  began  again,  till  Doctor  told  me  she  was  really 
us  well  as  I;  if  she  had  been  whipped  out  of  the 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     1 9 1 

first  one,  she  would  never  have  had  a  second.  So, 
when  they  came  this  morning  saying  that  Dorcas 
was  dying,  could  not  speak,  etc.,  I  rushed  up  and, 
first  thing,  gave  her  ears  a  rousing  slap;  then  a 
real  good  shaking  was  administered,  accompanied 
by  a  right  smart  scolding.  She  soon  winked  her 
eyes  (it 's  wonderful  how  long  she  could  hold 
them  open),  and  then  she  began  to  cry  like  any 
other  nigger;  so  I  administered  another  dose  of 
each,  topped  off  with  a  dose  (full  strength)  of 
asafcetida,  turpentine  He,  and  some  other  nau 
seous  pizen  mixtures.  The  girls  all  stood  around 
crying,  thinking  it  was  too  bad.  I  asked  them 
what  for;  they  said  they  could  not  help  taking 
on  so.  If  I  'd  been  big  enough  and  strong  enough, 
I  would  have  slapped  them  all;  as  it  was,  I  shut 
them  all  out  of  the  room  and  left  Miss  Dorcas 
alone,  with  orders  for  no  one  to  approach  her 
under  pain  of  immediate  dismissal  from  the  hos 
pital.  When  I  went  there  at  noon,  my  lady  was 
up,  in  full  feather,  eating  a  hearty  dinner  of  beans 
and  pork;  so  now  I  understand  treating  hysteria 
as  well  as  wounds. 

I  have  such  a  funny  little  man  for  a  page.  He 
is  a  Second  Massachusetts  man,  and  was  in  Chat 
tanooga,  Atlanta,  and  Nashville,  being  one  of  the 
July  recruits.  He  is  a  Russian,  and  had  been 
only  three  days  in  the  country  when  he  enlisted. 


192     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

He  says  "  he  fight  for  freedom,"  was  probably  a 
serf  (though  he  says  not),  and  is  certainly  a  Jew. 
He  is  the  only  Second  man  we  have  ever  had 
here,  so  I  claimed  him  right  off;  as  he  is  a  tailor, 
I  had  need  of  him  in  the  linen  room.  Last  week 
he  got  tired  of  mending,  and  said :  "  Lookee  here, 
I  can  find  work  to  do,  silk  dresses  make,  all  lady's 
work  do;  I  am  woman  tailor  in  mine  country. 
Can  I  not  make  you  dress  ?  "  I  remembered  my 
long-talked-of  double  silk-muslin  dress;  so  gave 
him  the  materials,  and  my  black  calico  for  a  pat 
tern,  locked  him  in  my  room,  and  left  him  to  his 
fate.  Before  the  next  evening  he  had  everything 
completed,  and  much  better  than  I  could  have 
done,  —  even  trimmed  with  black  silk.  I  was  in 
ecstasies,  and  sent  Uncle  Massachusetts  (my  other 
old  man)  up  to  town  to  buy  me  a  calico.  He 
brought  me  back  a  flaming  pink  one,  saying  he 
knew  I  liked  pink,  for  I  always  had  pink  roses  in 
my  waist.  That  was  made  in  a  jiffy.  Then  I 
gave  him  my  old  purple  calico  to  cut  over,  and 
so  on,  until  he  has  repaired  and  made  over  every 
dress  I  had.  Everything  is  in  complete  order  for 
summer;  he  can  wash  and  iron  those  that  needed 
it ;  I  never  saw  such  a  useful  man. 

When  I  am  in  the  room,  he  amuses  me  so  with 
his  talk,  half  German  and  half  broken  English, 
with  now  and  then  a  Russian  word  that  makes 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      193 

me  expect  to  see  his  head  come  off,  it  sounds  so 
hard.  Sometimes  he  says,  "  Shall  I  tell  you  a 
story  die  Bublee  (Bible)?"  So  he  begins  to 
chatter  about  Pharaoh  and  Moses,  particularly 
Joseph  and  the  other  old  fellow  and  that  naughty 
wife  of  his.  He  is  so  quaint  and  in  earnest  that 
you  can't  but  be  interested;  anyway  in  one  week 
he  has  done  more  than  I  should  in  a  year.  He 
lives  in  Boston,  and  we  will  all  have  him  sew  for 
us  when  we  get  home.  He  says  he  has  a  "  gal," 
but  she  is  too  cross  and  too  old  for  him,  only  she 
has  his  four  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  bounty 
money  and  he  must  marry  her  to  get  it.  "  Then 
I  guess  I  run  away."  He  does  n't  know  anybody 
in  the  regiment,  only  his  captain,  Fellen,  he  calls 
him ;  I  don't  know  who  he  is.  He  was  sent  back 
to  the  hospital  from  Alexandria,  and  his  legs  are 
so  short  he  could  only  march  as  far  as  Goldsboro' 
and  was  again  sent  back;  he  is  invaluable  to  me. 
I  am  to  take  him  to  Smithville  when  I  go,  if  I 
ever  do. 

We  were  mustered  to-day,  probably  for  the  last 
time  for  most  of  us.  I  shall  stay  until  the  last 
gun  fires  if  there  is  anything  for  me  to  do.  Did 
I  tell  you  about  Mrs.  Bickerdyke,  who  has  come 
down  here  from  the  Western  army  and  is  cook 
ing  for  this  hospital?  She  is  perfectly  splendid. 
To  be  sure,  she  snubs  me  and  everybody  else; 

13 


i  94     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

but,  Lord,  how  she  works,  and  what  good  things 
she  makes ;  our  men  are  better  fed  now  than  they 
would  be  at  home,  even  the  best  of  them.  She 
has  many  stores  of  her  own,  fruits,  etc.,  but  those 
are  nothing  to  her  cooking  of  the  common  food; 
she  talks  bad  grammar  and  jaws  us  all,  but  I 
don't  care;  her  heart  is  the  best,  and  she  will 
make  most  every  soldier  live,  and  how  she  hates 
a  Reb!  She  is  never  afraid  of  any  one.  Once 
old  Dr.  S.,  of  Alexandria,  was  around  inspecting 
her  kitchen,  drunk.  He  found  fault  with  every 
thing;  she  took  him  by  the  nape  of  the  neck,  led 
him  out,  called  a  guard,  and  told  them  to  take 
this  drunken  man  to  headquarters  and  she  would 
have  him  court-martialled.  He  was  afterwards 
glad  enough  to  apologize  and  to  get  out  of  that 
place,  or  she  would  have  done  it,  sure. 

To-night  the  rumor  has  come  that  Booth  is 
killed  and  taken  to  Washington;  somebody  saw 
somebody  who  said  he  saw  a  paper,  —  that  is  the 
way  we  get  all  the  news;  if  it  is  true,  it  is  too 
good  a  death.  I  would  have  liked  to  boil  him  in 
my  boilers  over  a  slow  fire,  or  to  have  my  girls 
chop  him  up  in  the  chopping-tray. 

BEAUFORT,  Wednesday. 

I  was  so  unexpectedly  pleased  last  night  at 
C.'s  appearance;  he  came  down  to  take  me  to 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     195 

Smithville;  we  leave  here  to-day  at  noon  by 
cars  to  Goldsboro',  etc.  They  have  about  seven 
hundred  patients  at  Smithville.  C.  says  it 's  a 
pleasant,  clean  town.  The  worst  is  there  are 
three  other  nurses  there!  It  will  be  rather  funny 
moving  four  boxes,  two  trunks,  two  chairs,  and 
a  table,  two  dorgs  (mine  and  Doctor's),  looking- 
glass,  and  Jack  [the  Russian]  with  his  knapsack; 
he  is  the  guardian  angel  over  all.  I  asked  him 
to  do  something  for  me  last  night ;  he  said,  "  I 
do  anything  for  you;  when  you  tell  me,  I  fall 
down  dead  in  the  water,"  meaning,  throw  him 
self  overboard. 

SMITHVILLE,  May  14  [1865]. 

At  last  I  am  here  where  I  have  so  longed  to 
be.  We  left  Beaufort  Wednesday  afternoon,  at 
five,  in  the  cars.  I  was  at  last  really  on  the 
way,  seated  in  a  box-car  with  all  my  boxes  about 
me.  They  told  us  we  should  have  a  hard  jour 
ney,  so  I  was  prepared  for  anything  we  might 
encounter.  There  was  no  passenger  car  on  the 
route,  and  this  had  been  especially  used  for  trans 
porting  sick  and  wounded  from  the  front;  so  the 
lice  and  fleas!  to  say  nothing  of  the  dirty  straw 
with  which  it  was  filled.  We  rode  all  night. 
There  were  five  in  our  party,  and  a  number  of 
drunken  officers,  some  of  whom  were  Rebels,  so 
the  ride  was  not  the  most  agreeable  in  the  world. 


196     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

Everybody  was  lying  round  on  the  straw;  there 
was  not  a  seat  excepting  the  trunks  and  boxes. 
The  first  misfortune  was  that  C.  let  my  mocking 
bird  loose;  I  could  have  cried,  only  that  he  was 
so  sorry. 

About  seven  in  the  morning  we  arrived  at 
Goldsboro' ;  it  is  a  pretty  town  and  very  little 
affected  by  the  war;  everything  seemed  intact 
but  the  fences;  those  are  mostly  gone.  We  had 
no  time  to  go  to  the  hotel  for  breakfast,  as  the 
Quartermaster  said  the  train  would  leave  imme 
diately;  so  I  ran  into  the  first  house  and  asked 
the  woman,  whose  breakfast  was  on  the  table, 
for  a  cup  of  coffee.  She  gave  it  willingly,  but 
she  was  rabid  Secesh  and  kept  talking  about  the 
troubles  she  had  seen.  After  all  our  hurry  we 
did  not  leave  here  till  ten.  We  sat  there  on  a 
platform  car  in  the  hot  sun  till  I  thought  I  should 
bake.  I  was  so  glad  to  get  started  again.  The 
cars  were  crowded  with  returning  Rebels,  full  of 
discontent  with  "  Yanks,"  but  glad  the  war  was 
over  and  to  get  home.  Some  of  them  talked  real 
saucy;  but  I  quickly  shut  them  up.  It  was  five 
o'clock  when  we  got  to  Wilmington.  The  coun 
try  is  lovely  in  some  parts,  —  perhaps  not  really 
so,  but  it  is  so  long  since  I  have  seen  green  fields 
and  woods.  You  would  hardly  have  known  us 
for  smut  and  dust  when  we  arrived. 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     197 

I  had  hardly  got  bathed  and  brushed  when  in 
came  Dr.  Barnes.  He  had  a  message  in  his 
pocket,  just  received  from  Dr.  Palmer.  He  (Dr. 
Barnes)  had  telegraphed  to  Dr.  Palmer:  "Is 
Mary  von  Olnhausen  with  you?  If  so,  can  you 
spare  her  to  go  to  Raleigh?"  Dr.  Palmer's 
answer  was :  "  Not  here,  but  expected  every 
moment;  can't  spare  her."  He  was  for  taking 
me  off  without  more  words,  as  he  has  eight  hun 
dred  sick  and  wounded  there,  and  no  nurse.  If 
I  had  been  going  to  any  one  else  but  Dr.  Palmer, 
I  would  not  have  hesitated;  but  I  knew  it  would 
disappoint  him  so  much. 

Dr.  Barnes  went  from  me  to  General  Abbott. 
In  talking  of  the  war,  Mrs.  Abbott  said,  "  Doc 
tor,  have  you  ever  met  Mrs.  von  Olnhausen?" 
"I  have  just  left  her,"  said  the  doctor;  so  in 
ten  minutes  he  was  back  with  the  General,  who 
would  not  hear  an  excuse,  but  took  me  off  to  his 
quarters.  They  are  quite  splendid,  and  I  had  such 
a  warm  welcome  from  his  wife  (I  told  you  I 
knew  them  in  Manchester),  and  such  a  pleasant 
visit  with  them.  Next  morning  the  captain  sent 
for  me  as  the  boat  was  starting.  General  Abbott 
sent  word  that  the  lady  had  not  breakfasted,  and 
that  the  boat  must  be  delayed  till  she  came  on 
board,  —  so  much  for  being  a  General's  guest. 

The  sail  down  is  very  nice  and  of  much  inter- 


198     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

est;  the  river  is  full  of  obstructions,  with  many 
sunken  boats;  they  think  the  torpedoes  are  about 
all  out  of  it.  The  forts,  all  except  Fisher  and 
Caswell,  are  already  dismantled  and  their  banks 
are  crumbling.  Indeed,  I  was  surprised,  all  the 
way  through,  to  see  so  few  traces  of  such  recent 
fighting. 

My  ward  is  a  large  one,  —  over  sixty  beds,  all 
with  wounded ;  it 's  not  quite  completed.  Yes 
terday  and  to-day  I  have  been  helping  generally, 
and  need  enough  there  is  of  help.  One  thing  I 
did  which  I  suppose  you  will  all  be  shocked  at, 
though  the  patients  have  been  too  glad.  I  shot 
three  big  pigs  from  the  cook-house  door,  —  one 
at  the  first  shot  and  two  at  the  last.  We  could 
not  lay  a  thing  down  that  they  did  not  devour. 
They  would  come  right  up  to  the  tents  or  cook 
house;  nobody  would  take  them,  and  it  required 
all  of  us  to  keep  them  away.  I  said  I  'd  shoot 
them  and  take  the  consequences  if  they  would 
bring  me  a  gun;  so  when  the  gun  was  brought, 
I  was  bound  to  do  it.  The  most  I  have  to  boast 
is  that  I  shot  them  all  through  the  heart.  Doctor 
has  appointed  me  chief  huntsman,  and  the  pa 
tients  had  a  bully  dinner,  and,  more  than  all,  I 
think  the  Rebels  will  have  a  wholesome  fear  of 
me  when  I  meet  them  with  a  weapon  in  my 
hands. 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     199 

I  long  to  be  settled  down  to  work  and  to  have 
the  thing  fairly  running;  but  it  takes  so  long  to 
start  a  new  hospital.  Moreover,  every  one  now 
seems  indifferent;  you  can't  make  him  work. 
All  they  think  of  is  getting  home.  For  myself, 
I  wait  patiently  till  it  is  all  over;  this  hospital 
undoubtedly  will  be  the  last  to  be  broken  up,  and 
I  shall  stay,  at  least,  till  Dr.  Palmer  goes.  This 
is  a  most  dilapidated  town,  right  opposite  Fort 
Caswell,  and  with  a  fort  in  its  very  centre. 
Doctor's  house  is  close  by  it  and  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  from  the  camp,  so  it  is  quite  a  walk  through 
the  sand.  I  hope  soon  to  be  nearer.  Last  night 
I  took  a  horseback  ride  of  about  three  miles;  we 
passed  many  redoubts  and  rifle-pits,  but  all  in 
disuse  now.  It  is  such  a  sandy,  uninteresting 
country  all  around  here;  but  any  country  is 
better  than  none,  so  I  enjoyed  the  ride. 

SMITHVILLE,  May  21  [1865]. 

What  do  you  say  that  I  did  not  write  my 
usual  Sunday  letter;  were  you  mad  as  a  pig? 
Well,  you  would  have  been  if  you  had  had  as 
bad  a  stomach-ache  as  I  did  all  day.  I  never  did 
have  a  worse  one.  If  I  'd  had  courage  to  write 
the  letter,  it  would  have  been  a  succession  of  faces 
such  as  only  I  can  make,  varied  with  interjections 
that  you  don't  like  to  hear.  As  to  writing  Mon- 


200    Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

day  and  Tuesday,  or  any  other  day  this  week,  it 
has  simply  been  impossible.  I  have  had  all  I 
could  do  early  and  late  to  get  clothes  enough 
washed  to  have  the  men  clean  by  Saturday  night. 
The  clothing  has  been  neglected,  was  scattered 
everywhere,  and  was  so  abused. 

My  house  is  all  done,  so  now  I  can  tell  you 
about  it.  Perhaps  if  I  had  written  a  true  ac 
count  last  Sunday  you  would  have  felt  that  it 
was  about  time  to  leave  the  army  and  retire  to 
private  life.  I  certainly  felt  so  nearly  all  that 
week;  it  seemed  impossible  that  order  ever  could 
come.  I  thought  by  being  at  the  camp  I  could 
expedite  matters,  as  I  saw  no  prospect  of  a 
laundry  or  ward  while  I  was  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
off  and  the  sand  so  deep  it  was  killing  us  to  walk 
it  so  many  times  a  day.  So  the  doctor  had  a  bed 
temporarily  put  up  in  the  light-diet  cook's  pas 
sage-way  (the  only  spare  place  he  could  find), 
while  he  hunted  up  quarters.  Now  there  was  an 
agreeable  situation,  —  from  five  in  the  morning 
a  constant  stream  of  darkies  and  cooks  passing 
through,  for  it  was  the  only  store-room.  I  could 
not  rise,  of  course,  till  one  of  the  women  gave 
me  a  chance  to  dress  in  her  room. 

Doctor  finally  found  a  house  that  would  do 
for  linen  room  and  my  quarters,  using  a  big  tent 
for  laundry.  It  was  the  very  best  he  could  do, 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     201 

unless  he  went  far  from  camp;  but  such  a  for 
lorn,  dirty,  tumble-down  old  hole  you  never  saw 
in  the  North.  Anything  to  get  a  house;  so  by 
Wednesday  I  had  my  room  ready  and  fell  asleep 
in  it.  Luckily  the  lamp  was  burning,  for  I  felt 
afraid  to  sleep  there  in  the  dark  alone.  Some 
thing  wakened  me  after  an  hour  or  so;  and  on 
opening  my  eyes  I  saw  the  biggest  kind  of  a  rat 
gnawing  a  piece  of  candle  on  a  stand  at  my  side, 
and  another  in  the  corner  of  the  window  appar 
ently  ready  to  charge  on  me  if  I  made  a  move. 
I  felt  perfectly  faint  with  terror;  there  are  no 
windows  in  the  house,  only  wooden  shutters.  I 
screamed  to  Jack  as  loud  as  I  could,  as  if  the 
poor  soul  could  hear  me;  he  sleeps  in  the  work 
room,  which,  as  usual,  is  some  way  from  the 
house.  No  Jack  came;  but  the  noise  I  made 
scared  the  rats  and  they  walked  leisurely  away, 
taking  the  candle  with  them  (the  piece,  I  mean). 
I  sat  up  in  bed  and,  happening  to  look  at  the 
wall,  how  can  I  describe  the  bedbugs!  They 
were  swarming  from  every  crack  and  hole;  they 
were  countless.  How  the  rest  of  that  night  was 
passed  you  may  guess. 

The  next  day  I  was  back  in  the  diet-cook's 
passage  again.  I  liked  the  men  best  of  the  three. 
Then  I  began  charging  on  the  beasts  with  hot 
water  by  gallons,  with  mercurial  ointment,  and 


202     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

after  that  with  two  coats  of  whitewash,  and  with 
carpenters  and  chloride  of  lime  for  the  rats.  I 
got  back  again  Wednesday  and  can  for  a  while 
sleep  comfortably.  The  house  is  cleaned  and 
whitened  and  made  close  from  top  to  bottom, 
and  it  really  looks  quite  jolly.  I  have  all  my 
traps  about  my  little  room,  and  the  doctor  con 
fiscated  a  bureau  and  a  settee  for  me;  so  I  am 
proud. 

Jack  has  taken  a  little  room  nearer  to  me,  one 
that  I  used  for  a  soiled-clothes  room.  What 
could  I  do  without  the  dear  soul?  He  is  just 
as  devoted  as  one  can  be.  He  heard  the  orders 
read  for  all  Sherman's  men  to  go  to  Washington 
to  be  mustered  out;  for  a  little  while  he  was 
delighted,  got  his  knapsack  ready,  and  danced 
round.  I  did  not  say  a  word  against  it,  (how 
could  I?)  but  I  felt  real  bad.  In  about  an  hour 
I  missed  him ;  he  came  back  directly  clapping  his 
hands  and  saying,  "I  no  go,  I  no  leave  you ;  I 
tell  Dr.  Palmer  and  he  say  I  stay."  Dr.  Palmer 
reports  that  Jack  came  with  eyes  full  of  tears  and 
said :  "  Doctor,  I  can  no  leave  Mrs.  O.  I  fall 
down  dead  before  I  leave  her.  I  love  her  like  my 
mother."  Doctor  was  much  amused  with  his 
devotion,  and  told  him  he  could  stay  as  long  as  he 
would.  He  is  always  doing  something  for  my 
comfort,  in  such  a  funny  way  too.  My  bird  and 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     203 

dog  are  his  especial  delight.  He  makes  no  friends 
excepting  them.  Altogether  he  is  a  character  of 
my  army  experience. 

This  is  certainly  the  strangest  part,  if  not  the 
hardest ;  and  yet  I  really  have  enjoyed  being  here 
ten  times  as  much  as  in  Beaufort.  I  would  not 
change  for  anything.  I  have  the  care  of  twenty 
washerwomen;  a  great  care  it  is,  too,  and  with 
such  an  amount  of  back  washing  to  make  up.  My 
ward  is  ready  for  me  now.  I  have  about  thirty 
wounded,  but  I  can  tell  you  more  about  them 
in  my  next,  as  I  've  seen  them  only  now  and 
then. 

We  have  about  four  hundred  patients  here, 
mostly  recruits  and  bummers.  I  never  saw  such 
an  uninteresting  set  of  men,  all  homesick  and  good 
for  nothing,  wanting  simply  to  get  home.  It 
seems  only  a  certain  portion  after  all  are  to  be 
mustered  out.  I  don't  know  what  these  fellows 
who  must  stay  will  do.  I  thought,  of  course,  all 
Sherman's  army  were  going  home. 

My  letter  is  more  than  usually  stupid,  but  I  am 
undergoing  such  a  biting  from  the  fleas  I  can 
hardly  write.  The  other  day  I  could  not  stand  it 
a  moment  longer,  rushed  into  my  room  and  went 
hunting;  the  result  was  thirty  fleas,  the  biggest 
louse  you  ever  saw,  and  in  the  covering  of  my 
hoopskirt  an  enormous  bedbug  had  built  her  nest 


204     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

and  laid  her  eggs,  —  fairly  domesticated  herself 
and  seemed  settled  for  the  summer.  What  do  you 
think  of  that?  North  Carolina  forever! 


SMITHVILLE,  Sunday,  June  4,  1865. 

I  have  my  little  shebang  and  laundry  in  perfect 
order.  The  tent  for  washing  is  the  best  in  the  land, 
and  my  hut,  white  inside  and  out,  is  too  lovely  for 
anything;  and  I  can  have  a  clean  spread  on  the 
floor  every  day,  since  I  control  the  wash.  The 
whole  arrangement  is  much  better  here  than  else 
where.  None  of  the  women  live  on  the  land ;  they 
draw  their  rations  every  Saturday  for  the  week. 
I  give  them  Saturday  afternoons  and  pay  them 
all  off  before  they  leave.  They  have  a  dollar  and 
fifty  cents  a  week.  I  have  four  white  women  and 
fourteen  nigs;  if  they  stay  away  for  half  a  day, 
I  cut  them  down,  so  I  have  to  call  the  roll  twice  a 
day.  It  makes  me  a  heap  of  trouble;  but  I  am 
sure  of  the  work,  and  as  there  are  no  sevens  or 
nines  in  the  figures  I  get  on  amazingly  well. 

Two  of  my  men  are  Rebels,  mortally  wounded, 
one  through  the  lungs.  The  other  has  had  a  re 
section  of  the  upper  third  of  the  left  arm  done  by 
a  Rebel  surgeon,  and  done  accordingly;  he  forgot 
to  look  and  see  that  the  elbow  joint  was  shattered. 
I  have  so  little  patience  with  these  surgeons.  One 
of  my  boys  was  a  prisoner  in  Andersonville  several 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      205 

months;  his  limbs  are  full  of  scurvy  scars.  He 
is  now  wounded  in  the  foot ;  he  says  he  has  never 
had  enough  to  eat,  and  has  that  gnawing  at  his 
stomach  all  the  time,  no  matter  how  many  rations 
he  gets.  It  is  a  real  disease  with  so  many  of  them. 
Another  poor  fellow  was  eleven  months  a  prisoner 
for  refusing  to  work  in  the  fortifications  about 
Richmond;  they  knocked  him  down,  stamped  on 
him,  broke  four  of  his  ribs,  and  kicked  his  front 
teeth  out.  He  said  to  them,  "  Do  all  you  can,  but 
I  '11  never  work  on  a  breastwork  or  fortification 
for  you  to  kill  one  of  my  own  men  from."  They 
tried  starving,  and  finally  brought  him  to  that 
horrid  Salisbury,  wounded  and  worn,  and  left  him 
without  shelter  till  both  of  his  feet  were  frozen  to 
the  knees.  Luckily  some  comrade  got  ice  water 
and  bathed  them  till  the  frost  was  out  or  he  would 
have  lost  them  both,  as  so  many  did.  He  is  to  me 
such  a  hero,  but  after  all  he  suffered  he  says 
nothing  was  as  bad  as  the  hunger.  He  says  about 
a  thousand  consented  to  work;  those  were  better 
fed  just  to  tantalize  those  who  would  not.  He  is 
a  handsome  little  fellow  as  well  as  brave. 

The  medical  director  says  this  hospital  will  re 
main  here  all  summer  at  any  rate,  so  I  suppose 
there  is  no  chance  of  coming  home  at  present,  and 
it  seems  not  well  to  go  for  a  furlough  when  prob 
ably  the  fall  will  see  us  all  at  home. 


206     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

I  hear  all  the  pickets  are  to  be  drawn  in  to 
morrow.  I  am  so  glad ;  it  will  be  nice  to  be  able 
to  walk  out  in  the  country  again  without  being 
obliged  to  run  for  a  pass.  It  is  a  long  time  since 
I  have  had  that  privilege.  You  can't  make  eyes  at 
pickets;  they  just  won't  let  one  go  past.  Only  the 
Massachusetts  Second  H.  A.  would,  about  More- 
head.  They  knew  me,  and  used  to  say,  "  When 
I  go  back  on  my  beat,  you  just  slip  by." 

SMITHVILLE,  Sunday  night,  12  o'clock. 

This  last  week  has  been  hateful.  I  wrote  you 
that  a  brigade  of  soldiers  were  coming;  well,  sure 
enough,  they  came,  and  a  greater  set  of  scalawags 
never  lived.  I  never  heard  of  such  men;  they 
broke  into  houses,  smashed  ever  so  many  heads, 
insulted  women,  stole  horses  and  everything  else 
they  could  steal,  even  went  into  Dr.  Palmer's 
stable  and  carried  off  one  of  his  horses.  They  were 
drunk  and  rowing  all  the  time,  and  every  one  had 
to  go  armed.  I  had  Doctor's  double-barrelled  gun 
by  my  bed,  and  only  that  I  was  smart  enough  to 
have  shot  those  pigs  I  think  I  had  been  attacked, 
sure;  for  a  lot  of  them  came  into  the  yard  one 
night.  Then  one  of  them  said,  "  You  better  let 
her  be,  she  '11  shoot  you,  and  she  can  shoot,  too, 
for  I  see  her  shoot  three  times  and  kill  every  pop." 
He  did  not  say  it  was  pigs  I  popped,  so  I  guess 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      207 

they  thought  it  was  men.  They  went  off  growling 
and  vowing  they  would  kill  my  dog,  who  was  bark 
ing  furiously.  What  a  dog  that  is!  His  horror 
is  a  nig  or  a  Reb;  one  cannot  come  into  the  yard 
when  he  is  unchained. 

SMITHVILLE,  June,  Sunday. 

Thursday  I  went  to  Fort  Fisher  with  Doctor 
and  his  family  and  some  others ;  and  that  was  truly 
a  most  delightful  day,  though  the  thermometer 
was  nearly  out  of  sight  and  the  sand  ankle  deep; 
but  the  cool  sea  breezes  were  delightful,  and,  then, 
it  is  probably  the  greatest  battlefield  in  America, 
and  the  first  I  have  ever  been  on  except  New  Berne, 
and  there  every  trace  had  disappeared.  But  here 
all  was  so  fresh  and  so  wonderful  to  see.  I  wish 
I  could  describe  the  Fort  or  even  give  you  a  faint 
idea  of  the  work  our  men  had  before  them.  The 
long  unsheltered  road  they  came  down  in  the  face 
of  such  a  terrific  fire  seems  too  much  for  any  stout 
hearts  (they  landed  up  the  beach  two  miles) ;  and 
the  rushing  forward  of  the  hundred  and  fifty  for 
lorn  hope,  all  volunteers  and  armed  with  only  axes 
to  cut  away  the  stockade  to  make  an  entrance  for 
the  troops  (which  the  fire  from  the  gunboats  had 
failed  to  do)  was  perfectly  heroic.  Besides  the 
sharpshooters  at  the  stockade,  stationed  so  closely 
with  loop-holes  to  fire  from,  there  were  rows  of 
rifle-pits  to  receive  them  if  they  succeeded,  and  the 


2o8     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

constant  shower  of  shot  and  shell  of  all  kinds.  It 's 
wonderful  how  one  lived  to  strike  a  blow,  and  yet 
it  was  done,  though  almost  all  fell. 

Friday. 

There  is  the  greatest  excitement  here  over  a 
tent  fly  that  was  missing.  Some  circumstances  led 
Doctor  to  believe  that  one  of  the  "  first  nine  "  in 
town  (a  pilot  who  has  made  "whips"  of  money 
during  the  war  in  the  blockade  runners)  had  it,  as 
he  was  seen  often  talking  with  a  hospital  scala 
wag.  So,  Wednesday  night,  the  doctor  called  and 
told  him  he  was  informed  he  had  a  fly  belonging 
to  the  government.  He  swore  as  a  gentleman  and 
also  by  a  solemn  oath  "  on  the  square  "  as  a  man, 
that  he  had  n't  it  or  any  hospital  property.  Doctor 
told  him  he  was  sorry  to  proceed  farther,  but  he 
must,  circumstances  pointed  him  out  so  plainly, 
and  gave  him  his  choice,  —  to  permit  him  and  his 
stewards  quietly  to  search  or  to  have  the  provost 
guard.  T.  tried  all  arguments  and,  finding  the 
doctor  determined,  said  he  thought  he  could  tell 
him  where  some  of  them  were.  So  he  told  of  a 
man  in  the  country  who  had  two.  He  thought 
surely  then  the  doctor  would  go  off.  Not  so. 
Doctor  said,  "  Come,  take  your  choice."  "  Well, 
Doctor,  if  you  won't  betray  me,  perhaps  I  can  find 
two  of  them ; "  so  he  went  upstairs  and  brought 
them  down.  Doctor  had  missed  only  one.  Then 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     209 

T.  said  he  bought  them  of  that  bad  man  for  five 
dollars  each,  —  such  a  lie !  The  first  cost  of  one  is 
about  seventy  dollars,  and  these  are  of  the  very 
best  duck.  Doctor  went  right  off,  got  a  guard, 
and  searched  the  house;  it  was  eleven  at  night, 
and  the  man's  wife,  Mary,  was  in  bed.  When 
they  went  into  her  room,  he  said,  "  Don't  be 
alarmed,  Mary,  cover  up  your  head,  these  rude 
men  sha'n't  hurt  you."  Such  a  homely,  snuff- 
chewing  thing  you  never  saw ;  if  he  had  anything 
else,  it  was  under  Mary,  and  Doctor  was  too  fool 
ishly  polite  to  search  her  bed. 

Well,  all  this  developed  other  things;  so  they 
commenced  yesterday  morning  and  searched  every 
house  in  town,  and  it  was  truly  wonderful  what 
they  found.  Not  a  single  house  where  there  was 
not  something,  —  quantities  of  bed  linen,  guns, 
three  new  flags,  crockery,  buckets,  tinware,  even 
hospital  slippers.  The  boys  had  lots  of  fun  out 
of  it.  Nobody  knew  how  anything  came  in  the 
house;  "Why,  it  had  been  there  years  before  the 
Yanks  came."  The  fools  could  not  read,  and 
there  was  the  hospital  mark  on  everything! 

Anyway  this  is  the  worst  set  of  soldiers  ever 
did  live,  all  recruits  and  bounty  jumpers  who  steal 
everything  and  sell  it  again  for  a  trifle.  The 
richest  man  in  town,  whose  wife  is  just  going 
North  for  a  summer  tour,  after  her  four  years* 

14 


2 1  o     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

imprisonment,  had  a  quantity  of  linen  spreads  that 
they  were  using  for  table-cloths.  She  "  had  not 
the  least  idea  how  they  came  in  the  house."  A 
guard  has  gone  into  the  country  to-day  expecting 
to  make  a  great  haul,  having  heard  of  a  lot  of 
things  that  were  seen  out  there. 

Doctor  is  almost  discouraged ;  everything  seems 
to  happen  down  here  in  Smithville ;  of  all  the  places 
I  've  been  in  yet  it  is  the  meanest.  It  might  be  so 
pretty,  too,  and  is,  indeed,  now.  The  crepe-myrtle 
grows  here  like  the  lilacs  at  home,  only  much 
larger;  but  every  house  has  many  trees  of  it,  and 
the  beautiful  china  pink  of  the  blossom  against 
the  rich  live-oak  foliage  is  perfectly  lovely.  One 
peculiarity  of  the  town  is  its  thousand  swings, 
sometimes  as  many  as  three  or  four  in  a  yard. 
Everybody  swings,  nigs  and  whites;  these  moon 
light  nights  every  one  is  flying  through  the  air. 
Dr.  Curtis  says  it  is  only  since  the  war  that  it  has 
become  a  feature  of  the  place.  I  guess  the  ropes 
have  washed  in  from  the  wrecks  of  the  blockade 
runners. 

The  town  is  full  of  returned  Rebels  who  are 
insolent  as  they  dare  to  be,  —  excepting  those  who 
have  been  prisoners ;  those  all  say  they  have  been 
treated  as  well  as  if  they  had  been  one  of  us  and 
are,  consequently,  a  shade  more  polite;  but  the 
spirit  of  secession  is  not  laid  yet.  Can  you  believe 
that  many  of  them  still  think  slavery  will  be  re- 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     2 1 1 

established?  Can  one  have  a  stronger  proof  of 
their  ignorance?  Imagine  these  millions  of  men 
who  have  been  fighting  for  their  freedom  brought 
back  to  chains  again! 

Five  hundred  sick  and  wounded  colored  soldiers 
have  been  admitted  since  I  wrote,  all  waiting  to 
be  discharged.  They  are  many  of  them  of  the 
Second  Maryland,  the  first  regiment  of  blacks  that 
I  ever  saw,  on  their  march  through  Alexandria. 
They  are  a  splendid  set  of  men,  have  always  been 
at  the  front,  and  are  so  much  better  disciplined 
than  the  white  soldiers  who  are  here.  One  who 
stands  guard  at  my  house  has  had  five  bullets 
through  him,  and  yet  has  lost  only  three  months 
and  never  had  a  furlough ;  he  is  such  a  manly 
fellow,  says  his  old  father  in  Baltimore  told  him 
and  his  two  brothers  never  to  come  back  to  him 
unless  they  had  proved  themselves  true  soldiers 
and  good  men. 

SMITHVILLE,  August  28  [1865]. 

My  two  little  pet  birds  are  devoured  by  wretches 
of  cats,  and  this  morning  my  only  other  mocking 
bird  was  dead  in  his  cage.  I  am  so  mad,  as  now 
I  have  only  the  two  cats  and  the  redbird;  I  hope 
these  will  live  until  I  get  home.  I  feel  impatient 
to  be  off,  have  commenced  packing,  and  am  having 
everything  washed,  wearing  all  my  cast-offs  so  as 
to  be  ready  at  a  moment's  notice.  I  don't  expect 
to  get  off  this  week,  but  will  the  first  of  next. 


2 1 2     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

We  are  sending  the  patients  away  as  fast  as  we 
can,  and  they  are  already  reduced  to  fifty,  so  my 
cares  are  very  light.  As  I  have  only  a  few  women 
to  look  after,  I  have  time  to  repair  breaks,  etc. 
How  I  'm  longing  to  see  you  and  hoping  to  have 
a  letter ;  that  is  my  best  comfort.  Soon  you  won't 
have  my  scribble  to  decipher,  but  will  have  me 
chattering.  I  shall  be  a  change,  at  least. 

This  was  the  last  letter  from  the  Civil  War. 
How  highly  valued  were  the  services  that  she  had 
given  to  the  soldiers  during  these  three  years  and 
more  is  made  plain  by  the  following  letter  from 
the  last  surgeon  under  whom  she  served,  Dr. 
Palmer,  a  letter  heartily  endorsed  by  Medical 
Director  Hand  and  Major-General  Palmer.  It  is 
addressed  to  her  brother-in-law. 

U.  S.  A.  GEN'L  HOSPITAL, 

SMITHVILLE,  N.  C.,  July  4,  1865. 

SIR,  —  I  have  recently  received  from  the  office  of 
the  Surgeon  General,  U.  S.  A.,  a  Circular  Order, 
directing  me  to  forward  to  him  "  the  names  of  those 
ladies  who  have  rendered  valuable  services,  gratui 
tously,  for  more  than  three  years  past,  in  attendance 
upon  sick  and  wounded  soldiers  in  Hospitals." 

This  Order  was  designed,  I  suppose,  to  secure  some 
public  and  striking  recognition  of  the  services  alluded 
to.  I  think  this  is  right. 

But  there  is  a  class  of  ladies  who  have  rendered 
extremely  valuable  services  to  the  sick  and  wounded 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     2 1 3 

Union  soldiers  in  hospitals,  but  who  do  not  come 
within  the  terms  of  the  Order  above  mentioned.  The 
Volunteer  Nurses,  who  worked  under  the  supervision 
of  Miss  Dix,  received,  from  the  Government,  twelve 
dollars  per  month.  Many  of  these  women  were  so 
self-sacrificing  and  faithful  and  efficient,  that  we  who 
live  to  enjoy  Freedom  a  second  time  won,  and,  I  hope 
forever  won,  can  scarcely  manifest,  adequately,  our 
gratitude  to  these  women. 

And  among  all  the  female  nurses  whom  I  have 
known  or  heard  of,  not  one  is  better  entitled  to  emi 
nent  and  substantial  notice  than  is  Mrs.  Mary  Von 
Olnhausen  of  Lexington,  Mass. 

From  my  own  observation,  and  from  the  state 
ments  of  our  lamented  friend,  Surg.  J.  B.  Bellangee, 
I  conclude  that  the  services  rendered  by  this  lady  to 
the  sick  and  wounded  soldiers,  and  thus  to  the  Gov 
ernment,  and  to  us  all,  have  been  quite  equal  in 
value  to  those  afforded  by  any  other  person  in  her 
sphere  of  labor. 

Her  whole  soul  has  been  in  the  work.  She  very 
early  acquired  a  marvellous  dexterity  in  the  manage 
ment  of  the  wounded.  Thus,  with  her  wonderful 
physical  endurance,  she  was  able  to  do  more  good 
than  any  nurse  I  ever  knew.  She  was  literally  untir 
ing  in  her  labors.  By  her  zeal  and  usefulness  and 
general  deportment,  she  entitled  herself  to  the  respect 
of  us  all. 

Soldiers  who  owe  their  lives  to  her  care  and  skil 
ful  attention  are  scattered,  now,  over  nearly  all  the 
Northern  States.  They  will  remember  her  with  grati 
tude.  I  presume  that  is  all  she  will  wish  for.  I  sus 
pect  that  Mrs.  Von  Olnhausen  is  not  ambitious  for 


2 1 4     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

notoriety  or  fame.  But  I  take  the  liberty  to  suggest 
that  the  citizens  of  Massachusetts  may  with  propriety, 
and  honor  to  themselves,  offer  to  Mrs.  V.  O.  some 
substantial  testimonial,  which  shall  manifest  their 
appreciation  of  her  services  and  at  the  same  time  do 
her  good.  She  is  in  every  way  entitled  to  all  she  will 
receive,  and  ought  to  feel  no  delicacy  in  accepting  it. 

This  statement  of  mine  is  prompted  in  part,  by 
hearing  that  the  friends  of  Mrs.  George,  a  Female 
Nurse,  who  "  died  at  her  post  "  in  Wilmington  a  short 
time  since,  had  purchased,  for  presentation  to  her,  a 
home  in  the  State  in  which  she  had  been  a  resident. 
To  me  this  was  suggestive.  A  fee  simple,  in  a  piece 
of  land,  is  worth  a  thousand  golden  trinkets. 

I  suppose  you  know  Mrs.  V.  O.  and  are  her  friend. 
So,  without  apology  for  writing  to  a  stranger,  I  simply 
hope  that  you  and  her  other  friends  may  some  time 
act  upon  the  suggestion  given.  I  know  many  whom 
you  will  never  see  who  will  gladly  take  part  with 
you.  Yours  respectfully, 

J.  M.  PALMER, 

Surg.  3d  N.  Y.  V.  in  Charge  Hosp. 

Endorsed:  MED.  DIR.'S  OFFICE, 

NEWBURN,  N.  C.,  July  17,  1865. 

Mrs.  M.  Von  Olnhausen  has  served  in  hospitals 
under  my  direction  for  nearly  two  years  past,  and  I 
take  pleasure  in  endorsing  all  the  statements  of  Surg. 
Palmer.  This  lady  has  won  the  respect  and  confi 
dence  of  all  brought  in  contact  with  her ;  and  by  her 
devotion  to  the  sick  and  wounded  soldiers  has  de 
served  all  a  grateful  country  can  do  for  her. 
D.  W.  HAND, 

Colonel  and  Med.  Dir,  Dept.  N.  C. 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     215 

August  2,  1865. 

I  most  cheerfully  endorse  all  that  has  been  said 
herein  of  Mrs.  Von  Olnhausen.  I  believe  that  this 
lady  has  done  more  good  in  the  hospitals  than  any 
other  female  nurse  I  ever  saw  or  of  whom  I  have 
ever  heard.  I.  N.  PALMER, 

Bt.  Maj.  Genl.  U.  S.  A.  (late  Comdg.  Dept.  of  N.  C.). 

A  more  formal  and  more  general  testimonial 
of  the  value  of  her  services  follows.  Signed, 
as  it  is,  by  Governor  Andrew  and  other  State 
officials,  it  is  in  a  measure  a  definite  recognition 
by  Massachusetts  of  the  good  she  had  done  in  the 
cause  of  that  State  and  of  the  Union.  This  testi 
monial  would  have  proved  of  the  highest  value  to 
her  five  years  later  had  it  not  been  for  a  misfortune 
involving  it,  which  will  later  appear. 

Admitting  as  we  do,  that  the  noble  and  patriotic 
devotion  of  the  Soldier  has  not  been  fully  appreci 
ated,  we  feel  that  the  devoted  service  of  the  truly 
PATRIOTIC  WOMEN,  who  have  served  so  FAITH 
FULLY  at  the  bedside  of  the  Sick  and  Wounded  in 
Camp  and  Hospital,  demand  of  us  our  most  pro 
found  gratitude. 

That  although  we  have  no  fear  that  History  will 
fail  to  do  full  justice  to  this  noble  band  of  PATRIOTS, 
yet  in  many  cases  those  who  have  received  kind  at 
tention,  and  the  friends  of  such,  cannot  be  satisfied 
without  some  more  substantial  manifestation. 

In  no  case  can  a  proper  manifestation  be  more 
deserving  than  to  Mrs.  Von  Olnhausen,  than  whom 


2 1 6     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

no  one  has  been  more  self-sacrificing,  no  one  has 
labored  with  more  success  or  with  a  more  honest 
purpose. 

We  are  therefore  most  happy  to  have  this  oppor 
tunity  to  make  manifest  in  some  slight  manner  our 
feeling  and  regard  for  the  truly  noble  and  PATRIOTIC 
CHARACTER  of  her  we  are  truly  proud  to  call  our 
Friend. 

(Signed)          J.  M.  PALMER, 

Surg.  3rd  N.  Y.  Vols.  formerly  in  charge  of  U.  S.  A.  Gen. 
Hospitals  "  Mansfield  "  and  "  Smithville,"  N.  C. 

JOHN  A.  ANDREW, 

Governor  of  Massachusetts. 
WM.    SCHOULER, 

Adj.  General  of  Mass. 

WM.  I.  DALE, 

Surgeon-General  of  Massachusetts. 

NEHEMIAH  BROWN, 

A.  A.  G.  of  Mass. 

JOHN  CUMMINGS,  JR. 
I.  H.  SPRING. 
H.  L.  SIMONDS. 
CHAS.  CHOATE. 
FRANK  WRISLEY. 
ANSON  P.  HOOKER, 

As st.  Surg.  Genl.  Mass. 

WM.  C.  CAPELLE, 

Capt.  Mil.  Asst.  to  Surg.  Genl.  Mass. 

JOSIAH  BARTLETT,  M.  D. 
HENRY  I.  BOWDITCH,  M.  D. 
W.  T.  MCALPINE, 

I  st  Lieut.  2nd  Mass.  Infty. 

JAMES  VILA. 
EDWARD  WHITNEY. 


CHAPTER   VIII 

SCARCELY   had   Mrs.   von   Olnhausen   re 
covered  from  the  fatigues  of  her  Civil  Wai- 
campaign    than    she    determined   again   to 
take  up  the  more  difficult,  because  more  monoto 
nous,  duties  of  life  on  the  Illinois  prairie.     Dur 
ing  her  three  years'  absence  her  brother's  wife  had 
died,  leaving,  besides  the  four  other  children,  an 
infant  boy. 

This  second  experience  of  the  Western  prairies 
was  far  harder  than  the  first,  and  was  probably  the 
most  "  strenuous  "  period  of  this  active  and  un 
usual  life.  To  bring  up  a  baby,  to  control  four 
other  children,  to  cook,  sew,  wash,  and  mend  for  a 
large  family,  is  far  from  easy  under  the  best  of 
conditions ;  to  do  all  this  under  the  hard  circum 
stances  of  frontier  life  is  appalling.  But  Mary  von 
Olnhausen  could  extract  sunshine  out  of  the 
sourest  cucumbers,  and  the  very  hardships  of  her 
life  were  made  sources  of  simple  pleasures  for 
herself  and  the  children  of  whom  she  took  such 
admirable  care.  The  long  journey  to  the  "timber" 
to  get  the  winter's  wood  became,  under  her  man- 


2 1 8     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

agement,  a  pleasure  excursion;  the  planting  and 
the  harvesting,  when  neighbor  A  must  borrow  all 
neighbor  B's  family  and  men,  and  must,  in  turn, 
send  all  his  family  and  men  to  B's,  became  a  bus 
tling  picnic-time,  the  sixteen  hungry  extra  men  to 
be  fed  making  her  already  busy  hands  but  fly  the 
faster.  The  good  years,  when  there  was  an  abun 
dant  crop  but  no  market,  and  the  bad  years,  when 
there  was  a  good  market  but  no  crops,  would  seem 
to  have  been  equally  disheartening ;  but  they  never 
discouraged  her.  Always  she  was  seeking,  and 
her  optimistic,  childlike  nature  was  ever  finding 
the  beautiful,  where  others  would  have  seen  only 
the  dreary  and  the  squalid  in  the  nature  and  the 
human  nature  of  that  monotonous,  semi-civilized 
prairie-land.  Possessed  of  a  keen  sense  of  humor, 
she  extracted  the  last  possible  drop  of  enjoyment 
from  the  eccentricities  and  idiosyncrasies  of  that 
extraordinary  folk  which,  dazzled  by  the  richness 
of  the  new  soil  and  the  glamour  of  frontier  life,  had 
drifted  into  her  neighborhood  from  every  corner 
of  the  United  States.  With  what  unction  she  used 
to  tell  of  the  woman  who,  in  the  neighborhood 
prayer-meeting,  thanked  God  that  she  had  had  a 
change  of  heart  on  "  Tuesday,  at  three,  by  Mr. 
Phinney's  clock;"  of  the  relatives  from  far  and 
wide  who  came  to  the  funeral  of  one  of  her 
brother's  hired  men  and  camped  in  his  house,  as 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     2 1 9 

was  the  prairie  custom,  for  three  weeks;  of  the 
extraordinary  sayings  and  doings  of  a  neighboring 
family  of  poor  whites  who  exhibited  amazingly 
the  primitive  instincts  of  the  untutored  and  un 
moral  mind.  In  her  failure  to  record  these  ex 
periences  we  have  lost  what  would  have  been  a 
distinct  contribution  to  the  social  history  of  the 
middle  West. 

In  the  summer  of  1870  came  news  of  the  Franco- 
Prussian  War.  Mrs.  von  Olnhausen  was  immedi 
ately  fired  with  a  wish  to  go,  being  inspired  both 
with  professional  zeal  and  with  ambition  to  be 
of  service  to  her  husband's  countrymen.  She  had 
never  been  abroad;  with  a  good  knowledge  of 
French,  she  had  almost  none  of  German ;  she  was 
aware  that  every  difficulty  would  be  put  in  the 
way  of  foreign  nurses;  she  had  no  money,  and 
none  of  that  held  by  the  German  organizations  of 
America  was  available  for  such  a  use  as  this.  But 
she  begged  sufficient  funds  from  her  friends; 
secured,  as  was  easy,  letters  from  those  who  were 
competent  to  speak  of  her  services  in  the  Civil 
War ; l  began  vigorously  to  study  German ;  and 
in  October  of  1870  set  sail  for  Liverpool. 

1  COMMONWEALTH  OF  MASSACHUSETTS. 
OFFICE  OF  SURGEON  GENERAL. 

BOSTON,  October  17,  1870. 

It  gives  me  pleasure  to  state,  that  the  bearer,  Mrs.  Mary  Von 
Olnhausen  of  Massachusetts,  United  States  of  America,  recently  of 


22O     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

Thence  she  made  her  way  without  difficulty  to 
Berlin,  and,  after  the  red  tape  inseparable  from 
war-time,  secured  permission  to  go  to  the  front, 
which,  then,  was  not  far  from  Paris.  But,  on  her 
way  from  Berlin  to  the  seat  of  war,  a  misfortune 
of  the  \vorst  sort  befell  her  in  the  loss  of  her  only 
trunk,  containing  all  her  letters  and  credentials,  and 
all  her  clothing  excepting  what  she  wore.  Her 
supply  of  money  failing  to  cover  any  such  contin 
gency  as  this,  she  really  suffered  throughout  the 
campaign  for  lack  of  warm  clothes;  and  the  loss 

the  State  of  Illinois,  distinguished  herself  during  the  late  war  by 
her  devotion  to  our  sick  and  wounded  soldiers. 

So  continuous  and  disinterested  was  her  humane  service,  that  by 
direction  of  the  late  Governor  Andrew  of  Massachusetts,  a  letter  of 
thanks  was  addressed  her  by  this  Department,  and  she  is  cordially 
recommended  to  the  consideration  and  courtesy  of  all  engaged  in 
ameliorating  the  hardships  of  war,  now  present  abroad. 

WM.  I.  DALE, 

Surgeon-General  of  Massachusetts. 
AMERICAN  ASSOCIATION  FOR  RELIEF  OF  MISERY  OF 
BATTLE  FIELDS,  NEW  YORK. 

NEW  YORK,  BIBLE  HOUSE,  October  21,  1870. 

I  desire  heartily  to  commend  Mrs.  Olnhausen,  the  bearer  of  this 
letter,  to  all  the  officers  and  friends  of  the  International  Associa 
tion  for  the  Relief  of  Sick  and  Wounded  Soldiers,  in  Europe,  as  a 
woman  of  great  worth,  devotion,  and  experience,  meriting  the  full 
confidence  and  respect  of  all  who  value  self-sacrifice,  patient  and 
persistent  labour  in  the  humblest  details  of  service  to  suffering 
humanity.  She  goes  to  offer  her  services  to  the  sick  and  wounded, 
and  any  who  can  aid  her  in  getting  to  work  in  this  blessed  business, 
will  merit  the  blessing  of  God  and  the  friends  of  humanity. 

HENRY  W.  BELLOWS, 
President  of  the  American  Branch  of  the 
International  Asso.  for  Relief t  etc. 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     221 

of  her  credentials,  of  course,  gave  her  endless 
trouble.  She  wrote  not  a  word  of  this,  however, 
to  her  friends  in  America;  and  they  knew  nothing 
of  her  loss  and  her  discomforts  from  this  source 
until  the  following  March.  Then  came  letters 
from  the  Consul  at  Nancy  announcing  that  an 
unclaimed  trunk  containing  letters  and  luggage, 
which  he  described,  had  lain  there  for  many 
months.  This  misadventure  accounts  for  many 
of  the  difficulties  which  Mrs.  von  Olnhausen  was 
to  experience,  and  explains  the  note  of  discourage 
ment,  so  unusual  with  her,  which  runs  through 
many  of  her  foreign  letters. 

Leaving  Berlin  on  the  loth  of  November,  she 
stayed  at  Nancy  five  days,  seeking  the  lost  trunk. 
Thence  she  was  forwarded,  via  Epernay,  Reims, 
Thierry,  and  Meaux  to  Lagny  (all  this  taking  ten 
days),  there  to  await  orders  from  Versailles.  But, 
though  she  waited  more  than  three  weeks  and 
used  every  effort  to  be  sent  forward,  she  could 
secure  neither  the  necessary  permission  nor  the 
essential  transportation.  Finally,  she  determined 
to  go  back  to  Epernay  to  seek  employment  in  the 
English  ambulance  there.  They,  however,  could 
give  her  no  place,  but  sent  her  on  to  the  ambu 
lance  at  Metz,  where  she  stayed  only  two  days. 
Going  thence  to  Orleans,  armed  with  letters  to 
American  and  English  surgeons,  she  served  for 


222     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

short  periods  in  various  ambulances,  notably  at 
Meung,  until  she  found  at  last,  in  January, 
1871,  definite  and  established  duties  at  Vendome, 
upon  the  Loire,  about  midway  between  Orleans 
and  Tours.  Her  letters  and  journal  give,  in  far 
less  detail  than  is  to  be  wished,  the  chronicle  of 
these  difficult  and  discouraging  wanderings. 

VICTORIA  HOTEL,  LIVERPOOL,  ENG.,  November  i,  1870. 
I  'm  here  in  the  smokiest  of  towns,  and  so  con 
fused  with  the  noise  of  landing  that  I  hardly  know 
myself.  Mr.  [Thomas]  Hughes  came  to  me  this 
morning  and  asked  to  introduce  himself.  He 
said  he  had  often  wished  to  speak;  but  I  seemed 
so  absorbed  in  my  German  that  he  would  not  be 
intrusive.  He  spoke  nicely  of  America,  and  gave 
me  much  pleasant  information.  We  talked  all  the 
morning,  and  when  we  parted  on  the  pier  he  gave 
me  his  card  and  made  me  promise,  when  I  came 
through  England,  to  send  at  once  to  him  and  he 
would  show  me  everything  in  London  worth  see 
ing,  and  would  even  take  me  to  Miss  Nightingale, 
who,  though  a  great  invalid,  will  always  see  him; 
so  I  felt  quite  proud.  They  all  had  supposed  me 
some  forlorn  German  Frau  who  could  speak  no 
English,  as  they  heard  me  speaking  only  to  the 
German  passengers.  When  they  had  known  Ger 
man  themselves,  they  would  soon  have  detected  me. 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     223 

It 's  too  funny  how  I  dare  blunder  along  as  I  do ; 
but,  after  all,  courage  is  the  best,  and  it 's  not  so 
hard  as  learning  to  wash.  I  start  at  one  to-day 
with  my  Prussian  officer,  who  speaks  no  English, 
and  we  shall  have  drole  times  making  mouths  at 
each  other.  He  has  only  three  bird-cages  and  a 
parrot  who  talks  continually,  so  imagine  us  en 
route. 

BERLIN,  November  4,  1870. 

At  last  I  am  in  Berlin,  where  I  have  so  long 
wished  to  be.  This  has  been  a  day  of  pleasure. 
I  am  at  a  little  hotel,  second  class.  Herr  L.,  who 
wanted  first  to  see  his  family  and  gladden  his  five 
children  with  his  live-stock,  advised  me  to  rest 
to-day ;  to-morrow  he  will  come  at  eleven  and  take 
me  to  see  Mr.  Happ.  So,  after  a  bath  and  break 
fast,  I  started  out  alone  to  see  the  town  and  air 
my  German.  It  has  been  splendid.  I  hope  I  shall 
go  again,  but  it 's  impossible  to  know  till  I  see  those 
I  have  to.  I  hope  to  be  sent  at  once  to  the  front. 

BERLIN,  Thursday,  November  10,  1870. 

It  seems  a  hundred  days  since  I  came  here,  I 
have  seen  and  done  so  much.  I  am  to  go  to  Reims. 
I  am  sent  to  the  Sanitary  Association,  who  will 
put  me  at  once  where  I  wish  to  be.  If  I  am  not 
satisfied  there,  I  am  to  be  sent  to  any  place  I  like. 


224     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

It  was  a  great  favor,  my  going  at  all,  as  there  are 
very  strict  orders  for  no  one  to  be  sent ;  but  being 
an  American  and  coming  as  I  do  with  letters  from 
Dr.  Bellows  and  the  others  has  helped.  I  must 
say  I  began  to  feel  a  little  anxious,  fearing  I  should 
never  get  off.  In  the  mean  time  I  have  spent  most 
delightful  days  wandering  about  the  city,  which  is 
truly  beautiful.  Wherever  I  saw  people  going  in 
I  went  too;  so  I  have  seen  much. 

CHATEAU  THIERRY,  November  20,  1870. 
After  I  had  delivered  my  letters,  one  of  which 
was  to  a  Fraulein  von  somebody,  I  went  to  visit 
the  two  hospitals  she  has  under  her  care,  and  no 
words  can  tell  about  them.  In  our  most  disor 
ganized  days  in  our  worst  field  hospitals  I  saw 
nothing  like  it.  The  beds  were  abominable,  the 
patients  dirty  and,  it  seemed  to  me,  in  every  way 
uncomfortable.  The  rooms  were  not  even  ^//-ven 
tilated,  and  I  could  n't  see  that  anybody  was  doing 
anything  but  eating  and  drinking;  that  seemed 
continuous.  You  would  not  believe  me  if  I  told 
you  all  she  drank  on  one  round  right  out  of  the 
bottle ;  I  would  have  had  to  occupy  one  of  the  beds 
before  the  first  half-hour.  Her  face  was  ruddy  as 
the  wine  before  we  parted;  every  person  we  met 
she  stopped  to  tell  how  much  she  had  to  do;  and 
yet  all  that  day  she  did  nothing  but  talk,  drink, 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      225 

and  eat.  Twice  we  had  coffee,  and  she  always  took 
out  her  little  flask  of  brandy;  "  Sary  Gamp" 
could  not  have  liked  it  better.  How  "  von  "  tells ! 
Otherwise  I  think  she  would  not  stay  long  in  the 
position.  She  went  with  me  to  the  French 
woman's  where  I  am  billeted,  and  talked  steadily 
in  German,  although  neither  understood  the  other ; 
it  was  very  funny  to  hear  them.  The  Madame 
fired  the  last  shot  by  saying  "  Good-bye,  lady  of 
the  Grand  Nation.  It  is  time  you  too  were  in 
Prussia  with  its  three  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
soldiers ! " 

There  are  no  more  letters  extant  covering  the 
period  of  the  next  five  weeks;  but  in  place  of 
letters  we  have  the  journal  kept  scrawlingly  in  a 
little  black  book.  It  begins  with  a  pencilled  itin 
erary,  but  is  silent  as  to  route  and  experiences  from 
December  19,  1870,  to  March  30,  1871,  that  period 
being  partly  covered,  however,  by  somewhat  frag 
mentary  letters.  The  dates  in  the  diary  are  hope 
lessly  confused,  Mrs.  von  Olnhausen  finding  it 
difficult,  throughout  her  life,  to  know  which  of  her 
busy  days  was  which. 

Left  New  York  226.  October,  1870. 
Arrived  32d  October   ( ?  Nov.   I ) ,  Liverpool. 
Arrived  5th  November,  Berlin. 
15 


226     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

Left  Berlin  loth  November. 

Arrived  at  Nancy  I2th  November. 

Left  Nancy  I7th  November. 

Arrived  at  Epernay   ifth  November. 

Left  Epernay  i8th  November. 

Arrived  at  Reims  i8th  November. 

Left  Reims  iQth  November. 

Arrived  at  Chateau  Thierry  igth  November. 

CHATEAU  THIERRY,  November  20,  1870. 

So  dark  and  late  and  muddy  when  I  got  here 
that  I  was  not  prepared  to  see  such  a  lovely  town 
as  it  is.  I  had  some  difficulty  in  finding  lodg 
ment,  but  at  last  was  housed.  I  wanted  supper 
and  wine.  The  people,  at  first,  were  cross  and 
unwilling;  but  I  took  the  high  hand  and  let  them 
know  I  zvould  have  it.  After  a  while  it  went  better, 
when  they  learned  I  was  American ;  so  I  had  a 
good  bed  and  the  best  of  coffee ;  and,  besides,  they 
cleaned  the  mud  from  my  clothes  and  shoes.  One 
has  to  put  on  high  airs  with  these  people.  When 
I  got  here,  I  found  I  must  be  delayed  some  days. 
The  railroad  is  torn  up  to  Meaux.  This  is  so 
discouraging. 

November  24,  MEAUX. 

At  last  I  am  so  far  on  my  way.  Dr.  Schmidt 
gave  me  transportation  with  his  Colonel.  I  started 
in  the  coupe  of  a  big  wagon,  in  charge  of  a  friend 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse       227 

of  his.  After  a  little  the  Lieutenant  of  the  com 
mand  offered  us  his  chaise.  That  was  very  nice; 
but  my  companion  was  very  drunk  from  too  much 
port  wine,  quarrelled  with  the  officers,  and  drove 
over  everything  except  the  houses.  So,  at  noon, 
when  we  halted,  the  Lieutenant  claimed  his  chaise 
and  drove  me  the  rest  of  the  way  to  Meaux  over 
the  most  beautiful  road,  smooth  as  a  floor  and 
lined  with  double  rows  of  trees.  Everywhere  were 
lovely  views  and  such  picturesque  villages.  I  was 
not  at  all  tired,  though  we  drove  fifty  miles. 

I  had  a  letter  to  Count  Gleist,  who,  though  it  was 
so  late,  received  me  kindly,  with  promises  to  do  all 
he  could  for  me.  He  gave  me  such  pleasant 
quarters  with  the  nicest  of  French  ladies.  When 
she  found  I  was  American,  she  was  so  pleasant, 
gave  me  a  nice  dinner,  and  we  sat  till  late  talking, 
—  really  talking,  though  my  French  is  very  bad. 
She  understood  a  little  German,  however.  She 
has  seen  much  suffering  through  all  the  wars,  is 
a  Bourbon,  and  does  not  believe  it  possible  for 
France  ever  to  become  a  Republic,  —  so  also  I. 
In  the  morning  I  found  such  nice  coffee  and  deli 
cious  bread  and  butter ;  and  then  went,  by  appoint 
ment,  to  Count  Gleist.  He  promised  to  send  me, 
during  the  day,  to  Lagny.  Though  it  is  winter, 
the  flowers  are  blooming  in  the  fields  and  gardens. 
The  garden  of  old  Madame  is  very  fine,  and  her 


228     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

house  is  filled  with  flowers.  She  sits  all  day  em 
broidering  altarpieces.  Her  only  son  is  a  colonel 
at  Paris. 

November  25,  LAGNY. 

It  was  quite  dark  when  we  left  Meaux,  but  we 
were  here  by  seven,  and  I  was  brought,  by  the 
Count's  direction,  to  the  cloister.  Just  as  I  arrived 
came  also  some  Protestant  Sisters  from  Stuttgart, 
the  freshest,  nicest-looking  girls,  all  eager  to  go 
to  work.  We  had  a  very  merry  evening  and  slept 
in  the  large  dormitory  together.  This  was  a 
boarding-school ;  but  is  now  a  hospital,  as  is  every 
large  house  in  the  town.  It  is  a  very  little  place, 
with  but  few  wounded  in  it.  I  did  not  expect  to 
find  them  here;  but  this  is  another  step.  I  have 
letters  to  Count  P.  with  orders  to  send  me  farther. 
Always  farther!  When  shall  I  come  to  the  end? 
I  have  sent  to  him,  and  he  will  see  me  at  one 
o'clock;  so  I  wait  here  in  this  dismal  abode.  It 's 
raining  hard  and  there  is  nothing  to  see;  so  it's 
rather  forlorn.  An  English  doctor  is  here  who 
offers  to  be  my  guide  to  the  Count. 

Saturday  [November  26]. 

I  went  with  the  English  doctor  to  see  Graf  P., 
who  promises  to  do  all  for  me.  I  have  such  hateful 
quarters  in  a  cloister.  The  Sisters  are  more  than 
horrid  to  the  "  Deutschers,"  though  they  treat  me 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     229 

a  little  better,  being  an  American.  I  have  no  fire 
in  my  room  except  a  foot-stove  which  carries  me 
back  to  the  days  when  I  had  such  beautiful  times 
in  the  old  garret.  I  hate  black  bread;  but  they 
do  make  good  coffee.  This  is  the  first  day  that  I 
have  lost  courage;  but  it 's  impossible  to  feel  jolly 
with  stone  walls  all  around  and  so  cold.  If  I 
could  have  only  one  letter  from  home,  I  would  feel 
quite  happy ;  but  so  far  I  have  heard  not  one  word 
since  I  left  so  long  ago. 

Sunday  [November  27]. 

I  went  to  church  with  the  Mother,  both  fore 
noon  and  afternoon.  It 's  such  a  ridiculous  little 
church,  rigged  up  with  painted  windows  giving 
such  an  abominable  light.  After  church  I  took  a 
long  walk  with  the  Mother  through  the  town. 
This  terrible  war !  The  place  is  full  of  destruction : 
beautiful  villas  entirely  destroyed;  furniture,  pic 
tures,  glass,  all  broken  in  pieces ;  trees  and  shrubs 
torn  up ;  marble  statues  all  in  ruins.  Every  house 
not  destroyed  is  occupied  as  a  hospital  or  bureau. 
In  one  house  a  large  library  had  been  destroyed; 
not  a  book  that  was  not  torn  to  pieces.  It  was  not 
a  cheerful  walk. 

Monday  [November  28]. 

While  waiting  for  an  answer  from  Versailles, 
I  must  amuse  myself;  so  I  walk  about  the  town. 
The  Mother  took  me  to  several  hospitals,  where  I 


230     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

saw  much  suffering  and  very  much  dirt.  They  are 
twenty  years  behind  us  in  all  sanitary  matters,  — 
no  ventilation,  no  proper  food,  dirty  beds,  men 
lying  in  their  clothes,  not  even  the  floors  swept. 
I  'm  disgusted. 

We  can  hear  the  cannons  distinctly,  this  is  the 
third  day.  From  one  part  of  the  city  we  can  see 
two  of  the  forts  around  Paris.  To-day  I  hear  the 
French  saying  that  the  Germans  are  defeated;  at 
any  rate,  the  Sisters  are  quite  gay  over  some  news. 

Tuesday  [November  29]. 

Went  this  morning  to  see  Count  P.  He  has 
had  no  letter  yet,  but  promised  to  come  after 
twelve  to  see  me.  He  and  Dr.  H.  came  together. 
Count  P.  was  indignant  that  I  had  such  quarters, 
and  took  me  at  once  to  a  nice  house  on  the  hill. 
The  garden  is  full  of  flowers  and  I  have  a  good 
fire.  It  is  pleasant  to  be  warm  again.  A  good 
Deutsch  Sister  from  a  near-by  hospital  sends  me 
my  food ;  and  now  while  waiting  I  would  be  really 
happy  if  I  could  have  only  one  letter  from  home. 
I  have  written  so  many. 

Wednesday  [November  30]. 

I  took  a  long  walk  in  the  country  and  had  such 
a  good  time.  I  went  to  a  village  about  two  miles 
away.  The  people  called  out  "  Dutch,  Dutch ; " 
they  saw  the  cross  on  my  arm.  Can  anything  in 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     231 

the  world  be  dirtier  than  these  French  peasants? 
I  have  never  yet  seen  a  nice  face;  and  when  one 
sees  the  bent  figures  of  both  men  and  women,  one 
can  believe  the  French  nation  is  decadent.  How 
can  such  mothers  bear  heroes? 

Thursday  [December  i]. 

Last  night  the  first  wounded  from  the  battlefield 
arrived,  and  this  house  is  made  an  officers'  hospital. 
Among  others  was  brought  a  Colonel  wounded  in 
both  knees  and  in  the  ankle.  I  have  been  up  all 
night.  The  poor  man  is  suffering  more  for  his 
sons  than  for  himself ;  he  has  two,  both  wounded, 
and  he  knows  not  where  they  are.  The  whole 
street  was  full  of  wounded  men.  I  feel  as  if  I 
were  back  again  in  our  War ;  only  here  there  seems 
no  order  at  all;  everybody  flies  about  distracted. 
The  way  they  dress  wounds  is  abominable;  they 
are  not  even  where  we  were  in  '62.  The  surgeons 
have  had  a  consultation  over  the  Colonel,  and  have 
decided  that  he  is  too  old  for  amputation.  In 
America  they  would  have  decided  differently,  I  am 
sure.  So  they  have  put  the  worse  wounded  leg 
in  a  plaster  of  Paris  bandage.  God  only  knows 
how  it  will  be. 

Friday  [December  2]. 

A  whole  deluge  of  Sisters  have  come  from  Stutt 
gart.  They  insist  upon  coming  in  and  taking 


232     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

everything  out  of  my  hands.  I  stand  my  ground 
as  well  as  I  can ;  but  they  have  the  whip  hand,  for 
they  can  speak  better  than  I.  Anyhow  I  won't  do 
servant's  work !  I  'm  an  officer  or  nothing.  I 
want  to  go  farther  forward  at  once ;  but  Count  P. 
will  not  let  me  stir  until  he  has  the  long-waited-for 
answer  from  Versailles. 

The  Colonel  has  revived  so  much.  I  have  been 
to  other  hospitals  to-day,  and  I  can  hardly  contain 
myself  to  see  the  treatment  of  the  wounds.  It 
seems  actual  murder.  We  never  treated  ampu 
tations  so  badly ;  —  head,  hands  without  any  care, 
and  the  men  allowed  to  eat  all  they  will.  I  can 
see  now  how  good  our  surgeons  were.  One  good 
thing  they  have  here  is  carbolic  acid  in  all  its 
forms;  this  alone  will  doubtless  save  many  lives. 

Saturday  [December  3]. 

I  can't  get  up  the  least  enthusiasm.  In  the  first 
place,  I  have  n't  enough  to  do,  nor  can  I  get  it. 
I  think  there  is  one  woman  to  every  two  wounded 
men,  —  all  with  caps  or  some  such  costume,  and 
calling  one  another  "  Sister."  Prince  von  Weimar 
was  here  to-day,  and  I  asked  him  to  send  me 
forward;  so  he  gave  me  a  letter  of  introduction; 
but  Count  P.  says  I  cannot  go  yet.  I  'm  pretty 
mad! 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     233 

[LAGNY],  Sunday  [December  4] . 

The  day  is  not  marked,  as  with  us,  by  inspection, 
though,  Lord  knows,  it  is  needed.  I  have  come 
out  of  the  hospitals  to-day  feeling  just  grieved  to 
see  how  everything  goes  here.  And  there  is  no 
excuse,  for  the  houses  are  large  and  supplied  with 
every  convenience,  and  there  is  an  abundance  of 
food ;  but  it  is  cooked  like  Satan.  I  have  not  had 
a  bed  since  the  wounded  came;  but  that  would 
be  nothing  if  I  could  eat  once  a  good  meal.  I  can 
drink  the  wine;  but  I  don't  like  it,  it 's  so  sour. 

[LAGNY],  Thursday  [December  8]. 

The  days  are  all  about  alike.  I  do  what  I  can; 
but  it 's  useless  breaking  my  head  against  these 
time-worn  customs.  Thus  far  every  amputation 
within  my  knowledge  has  died,  excepting  one; 
and  if  he  does  n't  he  's  a  fool,  for  there  is  no  reason 
why  he  should  live.  There  has  been  no  amputa 
tion  in  this  hospital,  I  am  glad  to  say;  if  there 
were,  I  would  have  to  fight. 

[LAGNY],  Friday  [December  16?]. 

There  has  been  a  snow-fall.  Till  now  the  gar 
dens  have  been  green,  and  with  so  many  vines  and 
flowers  blooming ;  but  this  ends  them.  I ' ve  been 
out  hunting  for  a  washerwoman,  and  have  found 
a  little  Frenchwoman  who  will  do.  She  is  the 


234     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

only  decent-looking  one  I  have  seen,  and  she  's  no 
beauty. 

It  is  some  days  since  I  wrote.  I  have  since 
then  left  the  hospital  I  was  in,  and  have  been  for 
some  days  in  the  Pension  Fleury,  the  vilest  place 
for  dirt  and  smell  I  have  ever  been  in.  The  Sisters 
are  Catholic,  and  so  mad  because  I  am  here.  I 
have  seen  a  number  of  operations,  and  never  have 
I  seen  anything  so  abominable.  One  amputation 
occupied  nearly  an  hour,  and  was  performed  by 
three  surgeons  who,  in  the  end,  were  covered  with 
blood.  The  patient  of  course  died  in  four  hours; 
why  he  did  not  die  during  the  operation  is  a  mys 
tery.  I  was  disgusted,  and  said  so  to  Dr.  D., 
who  agreed  with  me,  in  words  at  least.  I  have 
determined  to  leave  here  anyway.  If  I  cannot  go 
forward,  I  will  go  back,  and  join  the  English 
ambulance  at  Epernay,  or  else  go  to  Zwickau  [her 
husband's  birthplace].  I  cannot  get  transporta 
tion  any  farther.  This  hateful  Count  P.  has  re 
fused  me  even  to  Meaux,  though  I  have  a  letter 
from  Prince  Weimar  saying  I  shall  go.  Whether 
it  is  that  I  am  not  Catholic  or  that  I  am  American, 
I  do  not  know.  I  will  not  stay  here  much  longer. 
There  are  crowds  of  Sisters  here.  Every  cook  and 
chambermaid  in  Germany  who  wants  an  adventure 
seems  to  have  put  on  some  peculiar  cap  (they  wear 
no  bonnets)  and  started  out.  Banded  together  by 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     235 

dozens,  they  fairly  storm  a  hospital,  and  after  a 
day  or  two  all  are  driven  out  by  them.  I  have  not 
a  bit  of  a  chance  because  I  do  not  speak  quite 
fluently ;  and  now  I  Ve  had  enough.  I  will  see 
Dr.  D.,  the  chief,  to-morrow,  and  get  his  per 
mission  to  go  back  to  Epernay. 

My  dear  friend  whom  I  nursed,  Colonel  , 

is  dead  after  all.  When  tetanus  appeared,  they 
concluded  to  take  off  his  leg.  Dr.  D.  refused, 
knowing  that,  without  the  operation,  he  might 
live  till  his  wife  came,  but  that  it  was  too  late  to 
hope  for  his  recovery.  But  some  wise  man  from 
Stuttgart  came  and  said  it  must  be  done.  They 
had  only  made  the  first  cut  around  when  he  was 
dead.  I  am  so  sorry  for  his  poor  Fran;  she  came 
next  day,  only  to  see  his  dead  body.  Poor  wife, 
she  has  already  lost  one  son  in  the  same  engage 
ment,  and  the  other  lies  hopelessly  wounded  an 
hour's  ride  from  here.  La  guerre! 

December  17  [?],  LAGNY. 

I  depart  to-morrow,  at  five  o'clock,  for  Epernay. 
I  have  been  for  some  time  quartered  on  a  French 
dame  who  seems  really  sorry  to  have  me  go;  but 
I  leave  here  without  a  single  regret.  It  is  the 
forlornest  place  that  can  be  thought  of,  —  so  dirty, 
so  disorganized  in  every  way,  not  a  decent  hospital 
in  the  town.  What  can  be  expected  when  all  the 


236     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

wounds  are  dressed  with  raw  cotton,  carbol  oil, 
flannel  bandages,  and  oil  silk,  besides  a  heap  of 
nasty  lint?  Not  a  single  amputation  of  the  leg, 
so  far,  has  lived ;  hardly  one  of  the  arm,  and  those 
are  doing  badly  enough.  Every  wound,  for  a 
finale,  is  covered  with  a  triangle  of  cotton;  these 
triangles  are  a  peculiar  German  institution  and  are 
used  for  everything.  How  I  do  long  to  have  one 
wound  in  my  own  hands! 

1 8th,  EPERNAY. 

I  arrived  here  this  morning  and  have  seen  the 
English  Dr.  Frank,  who  was  so  kind;  but  I  have 
no  chance  here.  He  has  a  whole  band  of  English 
Sisters,  who,  by  the  way,  can't  speak  one  word  of 
German  or  French,  and  yet  all  goes  good.  It  is  the 
only  hospital  I  have  seen  in  the  least  approach 
ing  ours  excepting  Dr.  Brigham's  at  Noisiel.  Dr. 
Frank  gave  me  quarters  in  his  own  house,  and  I 
passed  such  a  delightful  evening  with  him  and  Dr. 
Montgomery.  I  needed  this  little  comfort,  for  I 
was  quite  discouraged.  He  gives  me  letters  to  the 
English  ambulance  at  Metz ;  so  to-morrow  I  start 
again. 

[i9th.] 

Rode  all  day  and  passed  the  night  at  F ,  as 

it  was  too  late  to  go  to  Metz.  It  was  dark  and 
rainy  and  so  muddy,  and  I  had  a  half  hour's  walk 
to  my  quarters. 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     237 

There  is  no  entry  in  the  journal  until  March  30 
of  the  following  year.  The  rest  of  her  wanderings 
towards  the  goal  for  which  she  had  been  always 
aiming,  Vendome,  are  partly  chronicled  in  the 
following  two  letters,  all  that  remain  of  the  many 
which  she  must  have  written. 

UNITED  STATES  CONSULATE,  REIMS, 

Friday,  le  23  December,  1870. 

I  do  think  this  is  the  last  time  I  shall  have 
courage  to  write;  I  have  come  away  back  here 
expecting  to  find  letters,  and  not  one  here;  but 
the  feeling  that  I  must  accomplish  what  I  came 
for  prevents  me  from  returning.  Not  one  word 
have  I  ever  heard  since  I  left  New  York;  and 
yesterday  some  one  told  me  that  he  did  not  believe 
a  single  letter  of  mine  had  ever  left  the  office  at 
Lagny.  What  will  you  think  if  you  have  not 
heard  from  me?  I  was  so  disgusted  there  I  could 
not  stay  longer,  and  found  it  was  impossible  to 
ever  get  any  farther;  so  I  determined  to  come 
back  and  join  the  English  ambulance  at  Epernay. 
I  arrived  there  Tuesday ; 1  but  Dr.  Frank,  who  is 
most  lovely,  had  just  imported  a  band  of  English 
Sisters,  and  so  needed  no  more,  as  he  has  less  than 
fifty  beds  and  five  or  six  Sisters;  but  he  gave  me 

1  By  the  journal  the  arrival  at  fipernay  was  on  December  18, 
which  was  Sunday.  There  is  a  hopeless  confusion  of  days  and 
dates  at  this  period. 


238     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

letters  to  the  English  ambulance  at  Metz,  so  I 
went  there. 

There  they  have  only  French  patients,  all  old 
wounds  and  beyond  nasty.  Such  a  place  was  never 
seen.  We  don't  know  anything  of  such  things. 

I  stayed  there  two  days,  but  he  (Dr. )  has  all 

French  Sisters  who  won't  work  with  any  one  else, 
and  he  himself  is  an  old  fool.  I  'm  sure  he  never 
saw  a  gunshot  wound,  or,  indeed  any.  I  have 
before  described  the  dressing  of  wounds  here;  he  's 
a  little  behind  that  even.  Won't  God  punish  such 
murderers!  I  have  seen  more  suffering  than  ever 
in  my  whole  life  before.  Our  War  was  nothing 
to  it. 

[Later.]  I  am  now  writing  in  the  cars,  for  I 
am  on  my  way  to  Orleans  with  letters  to  English 
and  American  surgeons;  somehow  I  feel  as  if 
this  was  the  turning-point  in  my  adventures.  I 
keep  a  journal  of  everything,  so  all  you  miss  you 
will  know  when  I  get  back.  I  will  not  write  one 
word  about  my  experience,  for  I  know  all  letters 
are  watched;  but  at  least  you  will  hear  that  I 
am  alive  and  have  been  well  ever  since  I  came  to 
Europe. 

ORLEANS,  January  6,  1871. 

I  am  sure  of  this  letter  finding  its  way  to  you, 
and  so  I  write  with  real  good  heart;  one  of  the 
English  surgeons  goes  home  to-morrow,  and  has 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     239 

just  told  me  that  he  will  post  it  out  of  the  war 
region. 

I  had  a  very  hard  journey  from  fepernay,1  I  can 
assure  you ;  and  without  the  hope  of  getting  to  the 
English  ambulance  I  would  have  given  up  many 
times.  From  Nanteuil  to  Meaux  I  came  in  a  bag 
gage  car  full  to  the  brim  with  matter  for  the  hos 
pitals.  We  had  to  ride  all  night  or,  rather,  make 
stops  all  night,  as  such  trains  always  do;  and  it 
never  was  colder.  My  seat  was  a  salt  bag;  could 
anything  be  worse?  I  thought  I  should  freeze, 
sure.  We  had  no  light,  and  I  did  not  know  a  soul. 
I  shall  never  forget  the  length  of  that  night.  Such 
a  Christmas  morning!  But  the  commandant  at 
Meaux  gave  me  quarters  in  a  cloister,  and  they 
treated  me  well,  —  gave  me  a  warm  chamber  and 
a  nice  dinner ;  so  I  soon  got  comfortable  and  then 
went  to  see  Captain  N.,  the  English  Chief  of 
Ambulance  there.  He  was  real  good,  and,  as  the 
next  morning  he  was  sending  stores  to  Orleans, 
promised  me  a  place  in  one  of  the  wagons. 

Captain  N.  said  we  left  at  seven,  so  I  had  coffee 
and  started  before  light ;  found,  of  course,  nobody 
ready  and  the  goods  not  loaded;  so  it  was  a  long 
wait  till  ten  o'clock,  when  the  three  wagons  started 
loaded  so  heavily  and  with  all  the  drivers  (Eng 
lish)  drunk  from  too  much  Christmas.  The  two 

1  Through  which  she  passed  in  going  from  Reims  to  Orleans. 


240     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

officers  who  conducted  the  expedition  were  very 
cross  and  did  n't  know  the  way,  and  it  never  was 
colder,  so  I  have  sometimes  had  a  jollier  ride. 

We  got  only  twenty-five  miles  that  day  to  Brie, 
a  little  town  where  the  famous  cheese  is  made. 
I  had  quarters  in  a  fine  old  house  with  two  of  the 
funniest  little  old  women  and  a  nephew  just  like 
them.  They  were  evidently  frightened  out  of  their 
wits,  and  seemed  to  think  I  would  eat  at  least  one 
of  them.  They  put  one  foot-stove  (chauffer  ette) 
in  my  lap  to  warm  my  hands  and  one  at  my  feet, 
and  flew  round  like  two  very  old  hens;  they  ad 
mired  everything  I  had  on  and  myself  generally. 
The  house  was  so  damp  that  I  wondered  how  one 
could  become  so  old  in  it. 

We  started  rather  earlier  next  morning,  but 
nobody  felt  just  right  yet  and  we  had  various  acci 
dents  through  the  day.  When  we  got  to  Corbeil 
they  refused  to  take  the  goods  by  rail  (here  the 
road  commences),  so  we  went  on  to  Juvisy.  This 
is  the  most  remarkable  town  I  have  seen ;  it  is  full 
of  chateaux,  so  old  and  fine.  They  said  positively 
here  that  we  could  not  go  on  by  rail ;  they  go  only 
by  horses,  having  no  engine;  so  we  looked  round 
for  lodgings.  That  was  not  to  be  thought  of, — 
five  thousand  soldiers  there  and  it  but  a  very  small 
town.  So,  after  dusk,  we  started  again;  every 
moment  seemed  colder;  and  (give  me  an  Amer- 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     241 

ican  for  all  the  English  in  an  emergency)  "  we 
ga'ed  and  we  ga'ed  "  to  find  an  old  castle  where 
they  said  we  could  have  quarters.  We  rode  at 
least  ten  miles  round,  and  at  nine  o'clock  we  found 
it.  A  great,  old,  rambling  place  with  huge  halls 
and  rooms  that  it  was  impossible  to  warm.  A 
Colonel  was  quartered  there  with  his  regiment ;  he 
was  very  cordial  and  gave  me  his  room.  We  had 
a  nice  supper  with  him  and  some  good  wine;  but 
the  bed  was  so  miserable  and  the  house  so  full 
of  noises  that  I  could  not  sleep.  I  got  up  early  in 
the  morning  and  took  a  long  walk  through  the 
grounds  and  garden,  which  are  wonderful,  sloping 
away  down  to  the  Seine  and  full  of  statuary  and 
arbors,  and  so  quaint  and  strange,  with  a  most 
picturesque  old  church.  The  place  was  the 
Chateau  of  the  Jesuits,  —  ever  so  old.  The 
old  fellows  were  turned  out  when  the  soldiers 
needed  it. 

It  was  late  when  we  left,  and  then  we  found  we 
were  only  one  mile  from  Juvisy  after  our  long  ride ; 
so  stupid !  We  went  back  to  Corbeil,  and  there  I 
determined  to  go  on.  They  left  me  and  went  back 
to  Meaux ;  stupid  things !  they  could  just  as  well 
have  gone  on,  for  the  next  day  I  found  a  German 
party  who  have  much  more  than  they,  and,  by 
insisting,  we  got  through.  The  first  night  we 
only  got  back  to  Juvisy;  there  everything  was 

16 


242     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

unloaded  and  it  looked  rather  bad  for  us.  There 
were  five  of  the  party :  two  doctors  and  two  gentle 
men  from  Frankfort  going  for  wounded  friends 
to  C. ;  they  were  decidedly  the  pleasantest  people 
I  have  met  all  the  way  through,  so  jolly  and  yet 
so  gentlemanly.  We  could  not  even  get  anything 
to  eat,  at  first.  Finally,  one  officer  told  us  he  would 
give  us  something  to  eat  if  we  would  find  a  place 
to  cook  it.  He  gave  us  coffee,  canned  beef,  vege 
tables,  and  pork;  so  with  all  our  hands  full  we 
started  to  search  the  town.  Finally,  after  a  great 
run,  we  got  a  chance  at  a  fire  and  two  pots;  and 
by  and  by  we  had  a  capital  dinner. 

Then  we  had  to  find  lodging  for  the  night ;  that 
was  more  difficult.  At  last  we  came  to  a  great 
castle  (this  all  sounds  like  "  The  Mysteries  of 
Udolpho")  occupied  by  a  regiment;  at  first  the 
Commandant  said  no;  but  when  he  found  there 
was  a  lady  (and  it  was  so  horrid  cold  and  already 
dark),  he  said  if  we  could  sit  up  all  night  we  might 
come  in.  I  would  willingly  have  consented  to 
stand  on  my  head,  I  was  so  tired  and  cold;  so  he 
brought  us  through  these  elegant  apartments  into 
such  a  splendid  room  (or  rather  hall,  for  it  was 
perfectly  immense)  filled  with  everything  beauti 
ful,  —  exquisite  paintings  and  statues  and  such 
gorgeous  furniture  and  books  and  music  and  an 
immense  marble  fireplace  full  of  wood,  which  was 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     243 

best  of  all.  We  drew  our  chairs  around  the  fire, 
drank  red  wine,  and  laughed  and  talked  till  at  last 
we  all  fell  asleep;  and  really  it  was  a  nice  night. 
As  to  the  whole  castle  I  will  tell  you  about  it  some 
time;  it  was  wonderful.  Some  of  the  Orleans 
family  own  it.  I  fear  not  much  that  is  fine  will 
remain  when  the  soldiers  leave  it. 

We  were  fortunate  enough  to  get  a  pack  wagon ; 
so  we  rode  all  day  through  the  most  lovely  country 
and  by  such  charming  towns  and  chateaux.  It  was 
horrid  cold,  but  I  was  bound  to  see  everything. 
Our  party  was  very  jolly  and  we  had  plenty  to  eat, 
though  it  was  frozen.  We  got  to  Etampes  by  dark ; 
there  we  had  to  stay  all  night,  and  the  crazy  old 
engine  brought  us  here  next  day.  It  always  breaks 
down,  but  it  was  good  to  us.  Here  our  party 
separated,  much  to  our  regret. 

I  have  been  quartered  with  a  most  charming  old 
couple;  he  is  one  of  Napoleon's  old  officers  (I 
mean  the  first  Napoleon),  and  is  so  full  of  interest 
ing  stories;  his  wife  was  a  great  belle.  They 
remember  all  the  revolutions,  and  I  should  be  real 
happy  here  only  I  can't  get  into  a  hospital;  they 
are  sending  all  wounded  away,  and  the  Anglo- 
American  ambulance  will  employ  only  Sisters  of 
Charity,  who  won't  work  with  any  one  else.  But 
Baron  S.  sends  me  to-morrow  to  Gien,  where  are 
many  fresh  wounded;  there  I  hope  to  find  a 
hospital. 


244     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

I  'm  afraid  to  write  one  word  of  war  news  for 
fear  my  letter  won't  reach  you;  but  to-day  the 
news  is  not  very  favorable  for  the  Prussians.  They 
have,  however,  been  bombarding  Paris  for  some 
time,  and  at  Juvisy,  where  we  were  so  close  to 
Paris,  we  could  hear  the  firing  night  and  day. 
There  have  been  terrible  battles  the  past  three  days 
on  both  sides  of  us.  I  hope  to  get  my  letter  from 
Epernay.  Oh,  dear,  I  never  expect  you  will; 
though  as  to  myself,  if  I  get  much  more  discour 
aged,  I  shall  go  back.  It 's  no  use  to  ask  you  to 
find  me;  write  to  Berlin,  Poste  restante.  I  will 
find  letters  there,  or  perhaps  may  have  a  chance  to 
send  for  them. 


CHAPTER    IX 

AT  about   this   time   Mrs.   von   Olnhausen 
seems  to  have  put  herself,  or  to  have  been 
placed,  under  the  direction  of  the  Johanni- 
tern,  or  Knights  of  St  John,  those  modern  repre 
sentatives  of  the  old  Knights  Hospitalers. 

By  this  Order  she  was  sent  towards  the  front, 
by  diligence,  accompanied  by  a  Knight  of  St. 
John  and  by  two  unfriendly  Sisters.  In  this  not 
wholly  agreeable  company,  and  worn  out  with  the 
long  buffeting  from  place  to  place,  the  homesick 
and  emotional  little  woman  was  quite  overcome, 
on  the  second  day  of  this  journey,  to  see  waving 
from  a  beautiful  chateau  the  American  flag.  This 
proved  to  be  the  Chateau  de  Meung,  owned  by  an 
American  but  confiscated  by  the  Duke  of  Mecklen 
burg  for  the  use  of  the  German  army.  Here  Mrs. 
von  Olnhausen  remained  two  weeks,  doing  what 
she  could  for  the  patients  there  under  the  difficult 
circumstances  of  being  almost  totally  ignored  by 
her  fellow-nurses.  So  hostile  were  they  that  they 
did  not  even  inform  her  of  the  retaking  of  Meung 
by  the  French,  and  made  their  preparations  for  a 
hasty  departure  quite  without  reference  to  her. 


246     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

Fortunately,  the  Knight  in  charge  of  the  hospital 
was  more  friendly,  and  made  the  diligence  in  which 
the  nurses  were  to  be  taken  away  wait  until  she 
too  could  make  ready  for  departure. 

This  last  removal  brought  her  to  Vendome ;  and 
thereafter,  under  the  direction  of  the  medical  staff 
of  the  army  (between  whom  and  the  Johannitern 
there  appears  to  have  been  much  jealousy  and  fric 
tion)  she  was  given  the  recognition  and  the  work 
which  she  had  so  long  sought.  The  Maire  of 
Vendome,  moreover,  at  whose  house  she  was 
billeted,  proved  the  best  and  most  influential  of 
friends,  giving  her  cause  for  everlasting  gratitude. 

Arriving  at  Vendome  in  the  latter  part  of  Jan 
uary,  she  stayed  there  until  the  3Oth  of  March. 
As  long  a:  the  German  army  remained  (it  was 
withdrawn  from  Paris  on  March  3),  the  condi 
tions  were  most  comfortable  and  agreeable  for 
her;  but  the  general  order  for  evacuation  having 
been  carried  out,  she  was  left  for  several  weeks 
practically  alone  in  the  midst  of  a  hostile  popula 
tion  and  in  charge  of  critically  wounded  men. 
This  period,  and  the  still  more  dangerous  and 
wholly  futile  journey,  with  eight  patients,  away 
from  Vendome,  is  quite  fully  covered  by  the  ex 
tracts  from  her  letters  and  journal  which  follow. 
That  experience  was  the  last  of  the  many  dis 
agreeable  adventures  met  with  in  France.  Arriv- 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     247 

ing  in  Berlin,  she  was  soon  greeted  by  her  late 
husband's  sisters  (who  had  heard  of  her  presence 
in  Europe  only  through  the  efforts  of  the  officials 
to  trace  the  owner  of  the  missing  trunk),  and  was 
taken  by  them  to  their  home  in  Tharant,  near 
Dresden. 

VENDOME,  February  16  [1871]. 

I  have  often  had  the  excuse  of  feeling  too  sad 
to  write;  but  I  think  never,  until  now,  of  feeling 
too  happy.  Yesterday,  for  the  first  time  since  I 
left  America,  I  have  received  letters  from  home. 
I  have  tried  to  avoid  telling  you  how  unhappy  I 
have  been  about  it,  and  always  have  spoken  hope 
fully  when  I  have  written;  but  now  you  must 
realize  how  much  I  have  suffered.  I  am  so  glad 
I  have  had  the  courage  to  wait  and  not  turn  back, 
as  I  have  so  often  been  tempted  to  do.  To  be 
sure,  the  letters  were  all  written  last  November; 
but  I  'm  so  grateful  for  that  much.  I  have  already 
written  you  about  my  life  here,  which  every  day 
I  like  better.  I  cannot  say  too  much  in  praise  of 
the  first  doctor  that  I  had.  He  was  nearly  as  good 
a  surgeon  as  Dr.  Bellangee;  and  the  one  I  have 
now  is  excellent,  too.  Moreover,  they  have  learned 
that  they  can  trust  me,  and  so  they  have  practi 
cally  nothing  to  do  with  the  wounds. 

They  are  evacuating  here  as  fast  as  possible, 
and  have  already  given  up  the  school  to  the  city; 


248     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

so  I  have  now  a  large,  fine  room  in  the  old  hos 
pital.  And  I  have  the  same  good  luck  with  the 
wounds  that  I  had  at  home.  I  think,  too,  the  men 
like  me  as  well  —  perhaps  better  —  than  if  I  were 
a  German.  You  would  be  surprised  how  well  I 
can  speak  both  French  and  German. 

The  church,  as  I  wrote  you,  is  very  beautiful; 
and  since  I  last  wrote  I  have  found  time  to  go 
in.  I  have  seen  no  such  paintings  in  France  in 
any  church,  and  the  old  windows  are  most  won 
derful,  though  many  of  them  were  ruined  when 
they  blew  up  the  bridges.  I  often  go  in  now,  and 
am  quite  friends  with  one  of  the  priests,  who  wants 
always  to  ask  so  many  questions  about  America. 
All  the  French  seem  to  think  that 's  the  best  land, 
and  I  'm  treated  with  marvellous  respect  when  they 
find  that  I  am  American. 

I  still  like  the  Sisters  very  much.  They  are  not 
imaginative  damsels;  but  the  older  is  well  edu 
cated  and  plays  nicely;  which  is  pleasant  when 
we  have  any  time  to  spare.  This,  however,  is  not 
often,  for  it  is  frequently  nine  o'clock  when  we 
sit  down  to  dinner.  However,  hard  work  makes 
good  digestion,  and  I  don't  care  how  much  I  dream 
so  that  I  dream  of  home. 

I  suppose  if  we  really  have  peace  one  of  the 
terms  will  be  that  the  Germans  shall  leave  France 
at  once;  so  we  may  all  have  to  go.  I  shall  be 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     249 

really  sorry  not  to  see  Paris,  and  I  shall  try  my 
best  to  get  there.  Aren't  the  conditions  de 
manded  by  Prussia  hard?  And  they  are  starving 
there  in  Paris  while  the  world  decides.  Here  we 
can  already  live  much  better.  The  people  are 
bringing  out  their  stores,  and  we  don't  get  the 
everlasting  answer :  "  Rien  du  tout,  du  tout,  du 
tout,"  no  matter  what  we  asked  for.  I  could 
always  get  more  than  the  Sisters  because  I  told 
them  I  was  American;  so  off  would  come  their 
hats,  and,  after  searching  in  some  horrid,  dirty, 
old  back  place,  they  would  bring  something  to 
light.  Speaking  of  this,  I  say  the  French  people 
are  the  dirtiest  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  Their 
houses,  especially  those  of  the  peasants,  are  abomi 
nations.  You  see,  I  poke  into  every  house,  under 
some  pretext,  and  have  thoroughly  learned  their 
"  tricks  and  their  manners." 

The  town  is  already  full  of  people  returning 
from  their  flight.  The  small-pox  has  been  dread 
ful  here,  and  so  fatal.  The  bells  are  always  toll 
ing,  and  the  priests  forever  singing  in  the  streets 
with  candle  and  cross,  followed  by  such  a  motley 
crowd.  They  always  go  on  foot,  and  it 's  no 
short  walk  to  the  cemetery.  It 's  well  they  have 
something  to  do.  The  Mayor  told  me  there  were 
more  deaths  here  in  the  month  of  January  than 
had  ever  occurred  before  in  an  entire  year. 


250     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

Right  in  front  of  the  window  where  I  sit  the 
river  runs,  with  only  the  street  and  a  little  garden 
between ;  already  the  spring  birds  are  singing,  and 
the  air  is  soft;  and  the  street  is  full  of  market 
people  crying  their  different  wares,  with  their 
white  caps  and  blue  linen  clothes,  so  unlike  any 
thing  one  sees  at  home.  The  wonderful  old  clock 
in  the  town  strikes  the  hours  and  quarters  so 
musically,  and  the  sun  shines  so  brightly  on  the 
warm  yellow  stones,  it  makes  one  quite  happy.  It 
has  already  struck  the  hour  for  my  going  to  the 
Hospice,  but  I  still  sit ;  and  now  that  Sister  Marie 
has  brought  me  a  strong  cup  of  coffee  (meaning 
the  coffee),  I  feel  wonderfully  content.  I  just 
have  seen  a  boy  pull  a  fish  from  the  river  which 
I  have  a  great  appetite  for.  He  looks  very  ragged 
and  nasty  (I  mean  the  boy,  of  course),  so  when 
I  have  done  I  shall  go  out  and  lay  hands  on  him 
(I  mean  the  fish).  A  couple  of  sous  will  make 
both  him  and  me  happy. 

Dr.  Lazarine  [  ?] ,  who  has  been  here  a  week  with 
the  Sisters,  has  given  us  lots  of  good  things.  He 
goes  back  to  England  to-morrow,  and  I  shall  be 
sure  then  that  this  letter,  which  he  takes,  will 
reach  you.  He  is  such  a  kind  old  man.  Not  one 
of  the  doctors  speaks  one  word  of  English.  Oh, 
yes,  one  of  them  does.  A  young  fellow  says  "  All 
right,"  "  Beautiful,"  and  "  My  dear."  Whenever 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     251 

any  one  speaks  to  him  in  English  he  always  makes 
one  of  these  for  answer,  —  he  says  he  must  keep 
up  his  English.  He  is  bright,  and  I  think  one  of 
the  Sisters  and  he  are  quite  in  love;  so  perhaps 
she  will  not  always  be  a  Sister. 

I  told  you  in  my  last  that  I  should  go  on 
to  Meung;  but  now  I  shall  not  go.  When  my 
doctors  found  that  the  Johannitern  wanted  me  to 
go  there,  they  vetoed  it  at  once,  and  said  they 
would  give  me  all  the  work  I  wanted.  So  they 
sent  away  the  men  who  were  well  enough  and 
gave  me  all  those  who  were  really  bad.  There  is 
such  jealousy  always  between  the  Johannitern  and 
the  regular  army.  Since  then  I  have  heard  that 
the  English  ambulance  is  there. 

There  is  no  other  letter  for  a  month,  but  it  is 
clear  that  the  interval  was  quietly  spent  in  work 
at  Vendome,  under  fortunate  conditions.  Mean 
while  the  preliminaries  of  peace  had  been  signed 
on  February  26,  the  German  army  had  entered 
Paris  on  March  i,  and  the  return  to  the  Father 
land  had  begun. 

VENDOME,  Thursday,  March  16,  1871. 

I  wrote  a  week  ago  that  I  should  leave  the  next 
day  (Thursday),  but  just  as  I  was  getting  into 
the  carriage  the  doctor  sent  me  word  it  was  im 
possible  for  me  to  go,  as  they  had  received  eight 


252     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

very  badly  wounded  men  from  another  hospital 
and  he  wished  me  to  have  the  care  of  them.  I 
was  delighted,  first,  at  the  compliment,  and  then 
because  I  wish  so  much  to  remain  in  France  till 
warmer  weather ;  it  is  so  cold  in  Germany.  I  can't 
tell  you  about  these  men;  I  have  never  seen  any 
so  bad.  They  have  had  no  care,  have  lain  wet  for 
weeks,  and  have  such  sores  and  such  indescribable 
wounds.  I  am  busy  from  early  morning  till  nine 
at  night. 

I  have  left  M.  Sarazen  [Mayor  of  Vendome] 
and  am  now  with  my  friends  the  Mesdemoiselles 
F.,  who  are  the  loveliest,  kindest,  funniest  old 
women  I  have  ever  seen.  The  moment  I  enter 
the  house  they  dance  around  me  as  if  I  were  a 
queen;  and  when  I  undress  they  stand  admiring. 
All  my  clothes  are  folded  like  a  child's,  my  shoes 
cleaned,  my  bed  warmed,  and  a  bottle  of  hot  water 
placed  at  my  feet ;  and  in  the  morning  they  are  at 
the  bedside  to  see  that  all  goes  right ;  while  in  my 
dressing-room  are  a  good  fire  and  warm  water. 
I  'm  sure  they  feel  rather  aggrieved  that  they  can't 
bathe  me.  They  are  so  puckered  up,  so  very  little, 
with  gray  hair  so  very  much  frizzled,  and  they  talk 
so  fast.  What  one  says  the  other  always  repeats. 
They  are  aristocrats  of  the  old  days,  have  seen 
terrible  times,  when  their  friends  were  dragged 
to  the  guillotine  under  their  very  windows.  The 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     258 

brother,  who  is  a  fac-simile  of  the  sisters,  comes 
to  the  hospital  with  me  when  it  rains,  and  I  find 
him  at  the  door  when  I  go  out.  Everybody  calls 
me  "  Madam  American."  For  the  last  two  days 
I  have  been  indescribably  happy,  for  I  have  had 
the  first  letter  from  home  since  those  written  in 
November. 

This  is  such  a  pleasant  old  town.  I  believe  I  Ve 
seen  everything  that  one  can  see  except  the  old 
clock,  which  I  am  going  to  visit  to-day.  Now 
that  they  have  no  longer  fear  of  the  soldiers  (who 
have  all  departed),  the  children  are  pretty  saucy, 
and  when  I  put  my  head  in  the  street  call  out, 
Prusse,  Prusse;  so  it  is  better  for  me  not  to  go 
alone  anywhere. 

Day  after  to-morrow  the  doctors  and  all  the 
hospital  corps  depart.  I  alone  remain;  but  you 
must  not  be  worried  about  it.  It  is  impossible  to 
transport  these  men  by  wagon,  and  the  French 
will  not  give  us  a  train  at  present.  I  would  not 
leave  these  wounded  men,  though  the  doctor- 
in-chief  says  I  may  go  if  I  wish.  I  think  the 
French  will  respect  me  more,  as  I  am  American, 
and  I  can  interpret  for  the  men,  not  one  of 
whom  can  speak  a  word  of  French.  You  would 
be  surprised  to  hear  me  jabbering  French  now, 
and  German;  I  have  no  longer  any  need  of  an 
interpreter. 


254    Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

Sunday  [March  19]. 

This  has  been  such  a  dull  day  and  so  long,  the 
patients  are  so  sad.  Four  have  died  since  yester 
day  morning.  I  feel  to-night  as  if  we  should  all 
die  here  together.  I  have  now  nine  left,  —  three 
wounded,  four  with  typhoid,  two  with  small-pox. 
I  have  everything  to  do,  and  it  is  vastly  harder 
when  the  men  are  low-spirited  and  have  so  much 
to  fear  from  the  French.  My  doctor  came  to  pay 
me  a  last  visit  on  Friday  evening1  and  spoke  so 

1  The  following  translation  of  a  letter  from  this  surgeon  is  of 
interest  in  this  connection  :  — 

VAILLY  NEAR  TROVES,  April  30,  1871. 

MOST  HONORED  LADY,  —  I  have  just  received  your  letter,  and 
although  I  have  not  read  it  because  it  is  in  English,  which  along 
with  several  other  languages  I  do  not  understand,  nevertheless,  I 
will  answer  you  circumstantially.  Just  as  two  soldiers  who  have 
fought  side  by  side  are  bound  for  their  entire  lives  by  this  brother 
hood  of  arms,  so  you,  most  esteemed  friend,  have  always  been  the 
faithful  companion  who  sacrificed  herself  for  the  welfare  of  the 
wounded ;  and  I  have  never  found  any  one  who  was  more  self- 
sacrificing  in  this  service  nor  more  reliable.  I  have  often  grate 
fully  remembered  your  forgetfulness  of  self  in  this  great  calling, 
and  have  often  reproached  myself  for  having  left  you  alone  in 
Vendome  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  you  desired  to  remain  there. 
With  due  regard  to  those  poor  people  who  had  to  stay  behind,  we 
could  not  refuse  your  self-denying  offer,  and  we  were  influenced, 
too,  to  accept  since  we  were  sure  of  your  capable  help,  and  I  am 
convinced,  although  I  have  not  yet  read  your  esteemed  letter,  that 
you  have  fulfilled  your  task  as  conscientiously  as  successfully.  I 
have  often  spoken  of  you  and  sympathized  with  you  since  you  were 
left  alone  in  Vendome,  so  I  am  all  the  more  glad  now  to  receive 
not  only  this  token  of  your  esteem,  but  also  the  news  of  your  safe 
arrival. 

I  am  glad  that  you,  at  least,  who  have  really  earned  it  by  your 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     255 

nicely  of  my  staying  here  alone;  in  the  morning 
when  I  saw  them  all  passing  before  the  house,  I 
felt  strongly  tempted  to  go  too. 

Friday  [March  24]. 

I  have  not  found  time  to  write  one  word  since 
Sunday.  I  find  the  patients  here  so  different  from 
the  soldiers  at  home.  I  have  never  known  the 
names  of  one  of  them.  They  accept  everything 
as  their  right,  and  are  always  so  impatient  and 
obstinate,  and  it  is  not  the  same  pleasure  to  take 
care  of  them  as  in  our  War 

The  news  from  Paris  is  every  day  worse,  and 

self-sacrifice,  are  in  my  dear  Fatherland  and  with  your  people,  while 
I  am  still  far  from  my  family  —  my  poor  wife  and  my  four-year-old 
son.  I  am  quite  sad  when  I  think  of  it,  but  when  I  consider  the 
numberless  widows  and  orphans  who,  comfortless,  await  our  return, 
then  I  judge  myself  fortunate. 

We  had  on  our  journey  to  Blois,  then  by  rail  over  Orleans, 
fitampes,  Juvisy,  Corbeil,  Melun,  to  endure  many  hardships ; 
afterwards  we  marched  by  way  of  Nangis,  Provins,  Villenauxe,  to 
Troyes.  We  have  been  encamped  now  for  four  weeks  not  far 
from  the  latter  place  (nine  kilometers),  and  the  end  is  not  in  sight. 
I  shall  endeavor  to  have  your  most  friendly  letter  translated  by  a 
comrade.  It  will  please  me  very  much,  however,  if  you  have  time, 
if  you  will  write  me  a  few  lines  in  reply  —  in  German  or  French, 
perhaps  Polish,  which  I  also  understand  —  or  to  have  that  done. 
In  case  I  find  no  one  who  will  translate  your  letter  for  me,  I  should 
be  very  glad  if  you  would  translate  its  contents  briefly  into  German, 
which  perhaps  you  will  do  anyway,  even  though  I  find  some  one  to 
do  it  for  me. 

Farewell.  I  think  of  you  with  most  grateful  reverence,  and  of 
your  good  heart. 

With  many  greetings,  your  friend  and  admirer, 

DR.  SCHWERKE  [?]. 


256     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

I  think  the  sooner  we  are  off  the  better.  This 
morning  we  had  a  telegram  that  we  must  leave 
to-morrow  morning,  but  two  are  too  sick  to  go. 
I  hate  to  leave  them,  especially  one  who  was  am 
putated  the  day  before  the  doctors  left.  The  other 
it  matters  not,  as  he  will  die.  The  poor  fellows 
do  not  know  yet  that  they  must  stay,  and  I  dread 
to  tell  them.  I  think  they  will  die  from  fright. 
Did  ever  such  a  people  live  as  these  French !  One 
would  think  they  had  enough  with  such  a  war; 
but  now  they  must  fight  with  each  other.  [The 
uprising  of  the  Commune  began  on  March  18.] 
The  people  are  furious  that  the  prisoners  are  still 
detained  in  Prussia. 

The  next  letter,  written  from  Berlin  on  the  an 
niversary  of  the  Battle  of  Lexington,  gives  quite 
fully  the  story  of  the  eventful  weeks  following 
March  24. 

BERLIN,  Wednesday,  April  19  [1871]. 

I  'm  just  glad  enough  to  be  back  here,  feeling 
that  now  I  can  hear  regularly  from  you  and  you 
also  from  me.  You  can't  know  what  a  cross  it 
has  been  to  me,  and  nothing  but  my  Yankee  grit 
ever  carried  me  through.  I  think  if  I  had  found 
nothing  to  do  I  never  should  have  had  the  courage 
to  go  back  to  America,  though  now  you  may  feel 
assured  that  while  I  had  anything  to  do  I  worked 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     257 

with  might  and  main ;  and  you  will  be  satisfied,  I 
think,  with  what  letters  I  have  from  my  doctors. 

You  will  wonder  where  I  have  been  all  this 
time.  I  wrote  last  from  Vendome.  I  had  all  my 
men  that  could  go  ready,  and  when  I  found  those 
that  I  could  not  take  feeling  so  bad  to  be  left 
alone,  I  decided  to  go  only  to  Blois,  and  then  to 
return  and  stay  till  they  were  better.  Just  as  the 
wagons  were  prepared,  however,  came  a  despatch 
saying  that  I  must  wait  a  day  or  two;  so  I  put 
the  men  back  in  bed,  and  you  may  know  that  was 
a  blue  day  with  all.  Now  they  thought  they  never 
would  get  back  to  the  Fatherland.  I  began  to 
think  so,  too;  besides,  I  had  so  little  money  left, 
and,  to  keep  them  alive,  I  must  buy  them  meat  and 
wine  at  least. 

We  waited  a  week,  and  it  looked  gloomy  enough, 
when  Thursday  evening,  March  30,  just  as  I  had 
finished  my  rounds,  the  Mayor  came  in  with  a 
despatch  from  the  Sanitdtscommission  Agent  at 
Orleans  that  I  must  leave  right  off;  so  at  six  I 
was  at  the  hospital,  and  by  eight  we  started.  I 
forgot  to  say,  though,  that  in  the  night  another 
man  died,  so  I  had  only  eight  to  take  with  me.  I 
rode  in  the  coupe  of  the  diligence  with  the  two 
small-pox  men,  who  were  really  better  than  they 
looked,  —  in  fact,  the  only  two  who  could  sit  up. 
It  was  market-day,  and  the  town  was  full  of  people. 

17 


258     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

The  Mayor  was  anxious  on  that  account  that  we 
should  leave  early,  as  they  are  bad  enough  with 
the  Prussians.  Luckily  we  got  off  without  being 
seen  by  many ;  those  who  saw  us  shouted  and  ran 
after  us;  but  the  drivers  were  real  good,  and  we 
were  soon  out  of  their  claws.  For  me  the  ride 
was  especially  delightful  after  my  long  confine 
ment;  but  the  men  were  so  tired  and  so  hungry 
and  so  cross! 

When  we  got  to  Blois,  we  found  we  could  not 
go  on  to  Orleans;  there  was  a  despatch  awaiting 
us  that  we  must  rest  for  three  or  four  days.  I  was 
not  sorry,  for  the  men  were  used  up,  and  Blois  is 
full  of  interest;  it  has  the  most  wonderful  and 
best  preserved  chateau  in  France.  Nothing  was 
ready  for  us.  They  were  breaking  up  the  hospi 
tal,  so  we  had  to  wait  an  hour  in  the  wagons. 
Then  the  chamber  was  so  cold,  and  the  stove 
smoked,  and  the  horrid  stone  floors,  which  we 
always  find  here,  were  so  unbearable.  As  soon 
as  possible  I  had  them  in  bed  and  a  good  supper 
for  them.  The  people  were  very  kind  and  showed 
the  greatest  sympathy  for  me,  so  I  too  had  a  nice 
supper  and  a  good  enough  bed;  but  as  I  had  to 
watch  and  do  everything,  having  no  one  with  me, 
I  could  not  rest  much,  for  the  men  were  too  tired 
to  sleep. 

After  I  had  made  them  all  comfortable  in  the 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      259 

morning,  I  left  my  small-pox  men  for  watchers 
and  went  to  see  the  town  and  the  chateau.  I  was 
gazing,  bewildered  with  its  marvellous  beauty  and 
interest,  when  up  came  a  man  with  a  despatch 
to  the  effect  that  we  had  twenty  minutes  to  get 
to  the  station.  Such  work !  I  had  all  the  men  to 
dress  and  prepare,  while  somebody  got  a  carriage 
and  men  to  carry  the  stretchers.  "Batterman,"  the 
newly  amputated  man,  I  took  in  the  carriage  with 
me;  the  others  were  on  stretchers.  I  had  only 
one  blanket  to  cover  him,  as  I  had  to  send  the 
others  all  back  to  Vendome;  but  I  supposed,  of 
course,  that  there  was  a  Sanitdts  train  for  us. 

When  I  got  there,  I  found  nothing  but  a  pack- 
wagon,  and  no  straw,  no  mattress,  not  a  thing; 
and  this  man  only  fifteen  days  amputated !  Even 
what  little  time  I  had  was  used  up  in  quarrelling 
with  the  Inspector  of  the  Station.  He  said  posi 
tively  I  could  not  go ;  there  was  no  requisition  for 
me,  and  unless  I  paid  full  fare  I  must  stay.  I  felt 
amazingly  like  breaking  down;  but  I  brought  all 
my  French  eloquence  to  bear,  told  him  I  was  the 
same  as  an  officer  in  charge  of  those  men,  and 
go  I  must;  so  at  last  he  brought  me  a  paper  to 
sign  stating  I  was  an  officer  pro  tern,  in  charge  of 
eight  Prussian  soldiers.  Was  n't  it  most  lucky, 
for  I  had  spent  my  last  cent  that  morning  ?  When 
all  was  done,  he  said  I  had  still  ten  minutes.  The 


260     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

men  were  lying  in  the  salon;  those  who  had  come 
on  stretchers  had  their  own  blankets ;  but  they  had 
taken  Batterman's  blanket  to  lay  him  on,  and  there 
he  lay  with  nothing  over  him.  I  had  no  time  to 
get  anything  for  him;  even  my  waterproof  was 
in  the  baggage  car;  so  I  took  off  my  dress  and 
skirt  to  cover  him  and  rode  to  Orleans  without. 
I  had  to  sit  on  that  dirty  floor  and  hold  his  head, 
and  was  nearly  jammed  to  death,  to  say  nothing 
of  the  cold,  for  it  was  raining  hard.  We  were 
more  than  three  hours  getting  there;  I  thought  it 
ten. 

When  we  arrived  no  one  was  there  to  receive 
us;  what  could  I  do?  I  thought  every  moment 
two  of  the  men  would  die.  Some  one  brought  the 
Inspector,  whom  I  shall  always  remember  with  real 
affection.  He  was  so  good  (though  a  French 
man),  sent  at  once  for  a  mattress  and  blanket, 
had  the  men  put  in  the  salon  and  a  fire  made, 
and  then  sent  for  the  Sanitdtscommission  Agent, 
whom  he  knew.  After  an  hour  that  official  came, 
with  a  very  red  nose,  and  so  fussy  and  so  fright 
ened  that  he  did  nothing  but  turn  round.  I  was 
disgusted  with  him.  He  insisted  upon  speaking 
English,  and  the  devil  could  not  understand  him. 
My  German  is  perfect  in  comparison. 

He  said  he  had  everything  prepared  at  the  hos 
pital,  but  how  to  get  there  was  the  question.  I 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     261 

made  many  suggestions,  which  were  put  aside. 
After  an  hour's  talk  he  decided  on  what  I  had  at 
first  proposed :  that  the  three  wounded  should  go 
on  stretchers,  the  others  with  me  in  an  omnibus. 
Then  a  stretcher  and  six  men  had  to  be  hunted 
up  (think  of  the  condition  of  the  sick  all  this 
time).  At  last  all  was  ready,  when  the  Inspector 
said  we  could  not  go  without  gens  d'armes;  so 
we  hired  two.  Mr.  S.  C.  Agent  then  concluded 
he  had  something  else  to  do;  but  I  think  he  was 
afraid  to  go.  Anyway  he  let  me  set  off  alone. 

The  Prussians  had  left  Orleans  three  weeks 
before,  and  the  people  supposed  all  had  gone. 
When,  therefore,  they  saw  us,  they  hooted  and 
screamed,  and  one  horrible  old  woman  howled 
out  all  sorts  of  curses,  kicked  up  the  dust  over 
us  with  her  awful  old  wooden  shoes,  and  shook 
her  head  so  that  her  gray  hair  fell  over  her  face 
and  shoulders.  I  never  saw  such  a  fiendish  face. 
I  could  then  understand  what  a  revolution  in 
France  meant.  The  men  were  dreadfully  fright 
ened  ;  but  we  got  to  the  hospital  safely,  and  I  felt 
glad  enough. 

I  expected  to  stay  there  all  night,  but  the 
Mother  said  no  stranger  was  permitted  to  stay 
in  the  building  unless  sick.  I  was  rather  in  de 
spair;  but  I  borrowed  some  money  from  one  of 
the  men,  and  passed  the  night  in  the  most  miser- 


262      Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

able  of  little  inns,  the  master  of  which  boasted, 
while  I  was  eating  supper,  that  he  had  been  a 
Franc  Tireur  for  three  months.  All  the  company 
looked  so  too;  but  it  was  Hobson's  choice  with 
me.  As  I  was  to  be  at  the  station  at  six,  and  must 
rise  early  enough  to  have  the  men  ready,  I  must 
be  as  near  as  possible  to  the  hospital. 

I  went  immediately  to  bed,  but  such  a  room! 
I  feared  I  should  over-sleep,  so  had  told  the  man 
to  call  me  at  five,  sure.  I  thought  I  heard  him 
knock  and  sprang  up;  hearing  the  clock  strike 
at  the  same  time,  I  hurried  on  my  clothes  and 
opened  the  window  to  listen  for  the  carriage  and 
the  man  who  had  promised  to  be  there  at  half-past 
five.  I  got  so  impatient  as  the  quarters  kept  strik 
ing  and  nobody  came;  at  last  the  clock  struck  one. 
I  was  too  mad,  and  so  cold.  I  would  not  undress 
again,  so  passed  the  night  in  that  miserable,  half- 
awake  state  till  half-past  five. 

When  I  rang  at  the  hospital  gate,  I  found  the 
men  nearly  ready,  and  that  the  Sisters  had  given 
them  some  bread;  then  I  looked  again  for  the 
carriage  and  my  gens  d'armes.  Finally  they  came, 
but  not  my  stretcher-men;  so  I  flew  about  the 
street  begging  everybody  I  met  to  come.  Finally  I 
picked  up  six  of  the  lousiest,  lost-looking  wretches 
ever  were  seen,  and  started  for  the  station,  the 
same  crowd  following  and  "  a-cussing." 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     263 

About  ten  minutes  after  I  got  there  Mr.  S.  C. 
Agent  arrived  with  twenty  other  men  that  had 
been  forwarded  from  little  stations  around;  they 
had  all  had  small-pox  and  looked  rather  shabby. 
He  himself  flew  round  like  a  parched  pea.  "What 
had  we  better  do?  "  was  always  the  question,  when 
there  was  only  one  thing  to  be  done,  —  to  get  the 
men  in  a  pack-wagon  speedily  as  possible,  with 
plenty  of  straw,  which  he  ought  to  have  had  ready. 
Thanks  to  my  friend  the  Inspector,  this  was  ac 
complished,  and  the  men  were  covered  as  well  as 
possible  with  all  available  coats  and  blankets,  when 
the  bell  rang.  I  had  got  only  six  of  my  men  and 
one  other  in  my  car  when  in  rushed  the  Agent: 
"  Madam,  here  is  a  despatch  saying  all  must  wait 
for  the  ambulance  train,  which  comes  at  nine 
o'clock."  I  saw  nothing  else  to  do  but  wait. 
"  Yes,"  he  said,  "  you  must  do  so,  but  I  think 
I  '11  go  as  far  as  Juvisy  and  wait  for  you  there; 
it 's  so  dangerous  here!  " 

So  my  men  were  taken  out  again  on  the  plat 
form,  and  there  I  was  left  without  one  sou,  one 
friend.  Again  my  Inspector  came  to  me,  put  my 
men  again  in  the  saloon,  lent  me  five  francs  to 
buy  them  a  breakfast,  and  locked  the  doors  to  keep 
out  the  crowd.  Nine  and  ten  came,  but  no  train; 
every  five  minutes  the  men  would  say,  "  Oh,  Sister, 
won't  you  go  out  and  see  if  they  are  not  here?" 


264     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

Ever  since  I  have  been  left  alone  with  them  I  have 
been  Sister  Anne  to  them,  always  looking  out  to 
see  if  help  was  near.  When  twelve  o'clock  came 
and  no  cars,  and  the  men  got  hungry  and  weary 
beyond  endurance,  I  went  out  for  the  last  time, 
determined  to  go  to  the  Mayor  and  have  them 
taken  back  to  the  hospital ;  when,  behold,  "  the 
cloud  of  dust,"  and  directly  the  doctors  were  with 
us.  We  all  cried  a  little,  and  now  there  was  no 
more  delay;  the  men  were  soon  warmly  in  bed 
and  fed,  and  I  had  quarters  with  the  two  Sisters 
(Protestant)  who  always  go  with  the  train.  I 
found  them  very  dirty,  but  very  hospitable;  any 
way  it  was  so  good  to  have  this  terrible  anxiety 
over,  that  I  was  content  with  anything. 

Now  commenced  our  journey.  We  went  to 
Tours,  where,  by  the  way,  I  met  some  delightful 
Americans:  Mr.  Lee,  from  Baltimore,  and  his 
wife,  from  Rhode  Island;  they  were  very  nice  to 
me,  and  I  spent  such  a  pleasant  afternoon  with 
them.  They  have  done  so  much  all  through  the 
war  for  both  sides;  they  live  there  while  educat 
ing  their  children.  From  Tours  (which  is,  by  the 
way,  a  beautiful  and  rich  city  and  less  destroyed 
by  the  soldiers  than  any  other,  for  which  they  have 
to  thank  Mr.  Lee,  who  persuaded  General  Haupt- 
mann  not  to  quarter  his  soldiers  on  the  people, 
but  in  the  casernes)  we  went  back  to  Vendome. 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     265 

Was  n't  it  abominable  in  this  S.  C.  Agent  to  make 
me  take  all  that  horrible  journey  for  nothing  just 
because  he  was  afraid  himself  to  wait  any  longer 
and  dared  not  leave  us  behind  ? 

From  there  we  have  been  journeying  ever  since, 
through  such  a  beautiful  land.  It 's  three  weeks 
to-morrow  since  I  left  Vendome  the  first  time. 
We  have  stopped  at  nearly  all  the  large  cities 
through  which  we  have  passed  long  enough  to 
see  the  best  part  of  them;  at  least  long  enough 
to  give  one  a  desire  to  see  them  again.  I  espe 
cially  enjoyed  Ulm,  Munich,  and  Nuremberg;  in 
each  we  passed  a  day  or  more.  In  one  we  were 
two  days,  so  I  made  good  use  of  the  time.  I 
have  kept  a  journal  of  all  my  journey.  I  know 
such  things  are  horribly  stupid,  or  I  would  send 
it  to  you. 

Although  this  journal  to  which  she  refers  covers 
very  much  the  ground  of  this  letter  of  April  19,  it 
is  by  no  means  "  horribly  stupid,"  and  it  differs 
sufficiently  from  the  letter  to  make  it  worth  while 
to  reproduce  it,  even  though  the  facts  are  mainly 
those  already  given. 

[Front  the  Journal^ 

BLOTS,  March  30,  1871. 

We  left  Vendome  at  nine  this  morning,  my  two 
worst  wounded  in  one  wagon,  the  other  six  with 


266     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

me.  All  the  rest  are  dead ;  the  last  died  last  night. 
I  was  glad  when  he  died,  for  I  could  not  have 
brought  him,  and  I  hated  to  leave  him  in  France. 
The  day  has  been  beautiful,  and  the  ride  altogether 
lovely.  We  found  nothing  ready  for  the  men,  so 
had  a  half-hour  to  wait  before  I  could  have  them 
in  bed.  The  chamber  was  cold,  and  the  floor,  as 
always  in  France,  of  stone.  We  are  in  the 
wonderfully  beautiful  Chateau  de  Blois,  the  most 
beautiful  in  France. 

My  men  were  so  tired  and  hungry,  I  fear  they 
will  not  sleep  well.  I  have  a  bed  in  the  next  room ; 
I  dare  not  leave  them,  and,  besides,  I  have  no  one 
with  me  to  do  anything  for  them.  I  am  very  tired, 
and  am  glad  to  hear  that  we  must  stay  here  for 
two  or  three  days  to  give  the  men  rest.  The  people 
seem  kind  and  have  given  the  men  a  good  supper. 
As  I  look  up  at  the  old  walls,  I  cannot  realize  that 
I  am  here  alone.  How  did  I  ever  dare  to  come  as 
I  did,  not  speaking  the  language  and  not  knowing 
one  person  in  France?  I  could  not  have  come  if 
I  had  known  how  hard  it  was  to  be.  Now  that 
I  can  speak  it  is  different. 

ORLEANS,  Saturday,  April  i. 

This  morning  I  had  so  much  to  do,  as  I  have  no 
one  to  help  me  except  the  Hussar  who  has  the 
small-pox.  The  men  were  tired  and  out  of  sorts, 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     267 

—  I  have  never  seen  them  so  impatient.  After 
they  were  cared  for,  I  went  into  the  town  with  the 
Hussar  to  buy  wine  and  bread.  The  people  fol 
lowed  us  in  crowds,  and  some  of  them  spoke  so 
meanly.  But  I  always  answer  good-naturedly,  and 
it  generally  ends  in  a  laugh.  But  it  certainly  is  not 
pleasant  to  be  alone  in  Frankreich.  I  am  always 
anxious  for  my  men  (not  for  myself),  for  the 
French  nature  is  so  uncertain  one  can  never  know 
what  may  happen. 

After  I  came  back  I  gave  the  men  their  dinner 
and  had  a  good  one  myself.  The  Sisters  here 
(Franciscans)  are  very  kind,  and  seem  delighted 
to  talk  with  an  American.  Then  I  went  to  visit 
the  Chateau  de  Blois.  I  can  find  no  words  to  tell 
how  wonderfully  beautiful  it  is.  I  did  not  stay 
half  long  enough,  for  in  the  midst  came  a  man  with 
a  despatch  saying  that  we  must  leave  Blois  in 
twenty  minutes.  My  Lord !  I  had  all  my  men  to 
dress  and  make  ready  for  the  journey  to  the  sta 
tion.  They  sent  Batterman  in  a  carriage,  but  the 
others  went  on  stretchers. 

When  I  got  to  the  station,  I  found  no  ambulance 
train  there,  and,  while  I  had  requisitions  for  my 
eight  men,  I  had  none  for  myself.  So  I  had  a 
very  stormy  time  with  the  Inspector  of  the  rail 
road.  He  said  positively  I  could  not  go.  I  said 
positively  that  I  would,  that  I  was  an  Officier 


268     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

Americain  left  in  charge  of  the  men  to  conduct 
them  to  Berlin,  to  which  place  they  and  I  would 
be  transported.  Until  the  last  moment  he  held  out. 
Then  he  brought  me  a  paper  to  sign,  as  is  required 
of  all  officers,  and  let  me  go.  All  this  time  my  men 
had  been  lying  on  the  floor  of  the  waiting-room. 
They  had  taken  Batterman's  blanket  to  carry  him 
in,  so  he  lay  there  with  nothing  over  him.  I  de 
manded  a  pack-wagon  to  carry  them  in,  as  they 
could  not  sit ;  so  they  were  put  in  one.  As  Batter- 
man  had  nothing  under  him  but  his  blanket  and 
nothing  at  all  over  him,  I  had  to  take  off  my  dress 
to  make  him  warm,  and  I  thought  he  would  die 
before  we  got  to  Orleans.  It  is  not  yet  three  weeks 
since  his  leg  was  amputated,  and  it  is  marvellous 
that  he  survived  that  ride.  I  cannot  tell  how  I 
pitied  that  man.  I  had  to  hold  his  head  all  the 
way,  and  was  myself  cold  enough  when  we  reached 
here. 

There  was  no  one  in  waiting  for  us,  and  I  did 
not  know  what  to  do ;  but  the  Inspector  was  very 
good,  and  had  the  men  taken  into  the  waiting- 
room.  He  then  sent  for  the  Agent,  who  ought  to 
have  been  on  the  spot.  It  was  an  hour  before  he 
came,  and  then  with  so  much  cognac  in  the  head 
that  he  was  little  better  than  no  one.  Besides,  he 
is  so  afraid.  I  never  saw  a  man  so  frightened.  It 
was  a  full  hour  before  he  got  together  the  men  to 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     269 

carry  the  stretchers,  and  a  carriage  for  me.  Then 
we  must  have  gens  d'armes  to  accompany  us,  as  it 
is  not  safe  here  without  them.  It  was  rather  a 
mournful  procession  to  the  hospital,  and  such  a 
gloomy  place  when  we  got  there.  The  men  were 
all  tired  out  and  were  glad  to  get  to  bed.  The 
hospital  is  the  Hotel  Dicu,  in  charge  of  the  Do 
minican  Sisters,  who  dress  in  white,  and  from  the 
time  they  enter  the  house  till  they  die  never  step 
out  of  it. 

The  old  Mother  —  who  is  cross  enough  —  would 
not  let  me  stay  there;  so,  though  it  was  dark,  I 
had  to  hunt  up  a  lodging  for  the  night,  as  we  are 
to  leave  for  Juvisy  at  five  to-morrow  morning.  As 
I  have  not  much  money,  I  could  not  be  fastidious, 
so  am  in  a  miserable  little  inn  in  which  the  people 
all  look  like  robbers,  with  most  villainous  faces. 
They  set  before  me  a  scanty  supper  which  I  had 
no  appetite  or  heart  to  eat. 

ORLEANS,  Sunday,  April  2  [1871]. 

This  is  a  day.  I  'm  sure  I  shall  never  forget  it. 
It  began  altogether  wrong,  for  I  thought  I  heard 
the  knock  on  the  door  which  I  had  ordered  the 
woman  to  give  to  waken  me.  As  the  clock  was 
striking,  too,  I  leaped  out  of  bed  and  dressed  in 
a  hurry.  Then  I  went  to  the  window,  which  is 
opposite  the  hospital  gate,  to  wait  for  the  carriage 


270     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

and  the  men  who  promised  to  be  there  at  five. 
After  waiting  till  the  clock  struck  again,  I  dis 
covered  it  was  only  one,  and  that  I  had  been 
dreaming  instead  of  really  hearing  the  knock.  I 
was  too  mad.  So  to  bed  I  went  again,  almost 
frozen  and  with  boots  and  clothes  on,  altogether 
so  miserable.  Of  course  I  slept  no  more,  and  felt 
as  though  I  were  a  hundred  years  old.  Finally  I 
got  admitted  to  the  hospital,  made  my  men  ready, 
and  then  waited  so  impatiently.  When  it  was 
nearly  six,  I  took  a  man  and  we  went  to  hunt  up 
somebody  to  help.  Finding  somebody  at  last,  we 
reached  the  station  just  in  time  to  put  the  men 
in  the  pack-wagon.  This  time  there  was  plenty 
of  straw,  and  I  thought  we  were  to  be  quite 
comfortable. 

I  had  seated  myself  on  my  box  for  a  little  rest, 
when  the  Agent  (the  same  man  I  saw  yesterday 
and  who  has  managed  the  whole  concern)  rushed 
up  and  handed  me  a  despatch  to  the  effect  that 
the  ambulance  train  would  be  here  at  nine,  and  that 
I  must  wait  for  it.  So  we  had  just  time  to  get  the 
men  again  on  the  platform,  when  the  train  went  off. 
I  begged  the  Agent  to  stay  and  help  me;  but  he 
said  he  had  all  his  things  in  the  car,  and  that  he 
did  not  like,  anyway,  to  stay  longer  in  France.  So 
the  miserable  man  went  off,  leaving  me  with  those 
terribly  sick,  tired,  and  hungry  men,  and  with  not 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      271 

one  cent  of  money,  and  with  no  one  to  help  me 
except  the  Hussar.  I  have  never  been  so  near 
despair;  but  I  had  no  time  for  that.  I  hunted  up 
the  Inspector,  who  was  kind  and  had  the  men  put 
into  the  salle;  and  here  I  must  wait  with  them  for 
the  train  to  come.  They  had  had  no  breakfast,  and 
I  was  too  sorry  for  them.  Again  I  had  to  apply 
to  the  Inspector,  who  lent  me  some  money  to  buy 
them  a  breakfast. 

At  last  nine  o'clock  came,  but  no  train,  —  so 
ten  and  eleven.  I  was  at  my  wits'  end.  The  eight 
men  were  all  crying  with  pain  and  cold,  the  room 
was  full  of  French  soldiers  and  "  blue  blouses," 
who  were  so  hateful,  and,  if  the  train  should  not 
come,  what  could  I  do  ?  When  at  last  I  saw  three 
doctors  at  the  door,  I  could  not  keep  the  tears  down. 
They  were  so  nice,  and  had  the  men  put  into  the 
cars  at  once  and  fed.  There  are  two  Sisters  ( Prot 
estant)  on  the  cars  who  have  lived  thus  for  five 
months.  They  have  given  me  a  bed  in  their  car, 
so  I  am  right  comfortable.  After  dinner  we  went 
into  the  town.  The  people  are  bad  enough,  and  it 
would  take  very  little  to  make  them  wicked.  We 
leave  here  at  ten  to-night  for  Tours. 

TOURS,  April  3,  Monday. 

We  arrived  here  at  five  this  morning.  We  find 
two  wounded  men  here,  but  there  are  many  in  the 


272     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

little  towns  around;    so  we  must  wait  here  some 
days  until  all  are  brought  in. 

April  4,  TOURS. 

I  was  so  disappointed  this  morning.  The  doc 
tor  went  to  Meung  and  promised  to  take  me 
with  him;  but,  after  all,  left  me,  for  some  rea 
son.  Some  one  told  me  there  was  an  Ameri 
can  family  here,  by  the  name  of  Lee,  who  had 
done  so  much  in  the  war;  so  I  got  their  address, 
called,  and  was  so  delighted  with  them.  They 
were  most  cordial,  and  I  stayed  the  greater  part 
of  the  day  with  them.  It  was  so  good  to  hear 
American  news.  She  told  me  so  much  about  the 
war  that  I  had  not  known  before.  After  I  left  I 
took  a  walk  around  the  town. 

[TOURS],  April  5,  Wednesday. 

This  morning  I  took  a  walk  to  the  Chateau  de 
Beau  Jardin,  which  has  been  used  for  a  hospital, 
but  which  I  was  not  permitted  to  enter.  I  am  the 
only  one  that  dares  to  leave  the  cars,  and  every 
one  thinks  me  rash;  but  I  find  the  people  very 
polite  and  kind.  Somehow  I  always  find  such 
pleasant  people  wherever  I  go.  The  doctor  has 
returned  this  evening  with  ten  sick  and  wounded 
men.  We  leave  at  ten  o'clock  to-night  for  Ven- 
dome.  I  have  no  patience  when  I  think  how  badly 
this  thing  has  been  managed.  I  could  have  had 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      273 

my  men  so  comfortable  all  the  while  in  the  hos 
pital  instead  of  taking  that  hard  journey,  had  it 
not  been  for  that  stupid  Agent.  It  is  a  shame  to 
give  such  a  man  such  a  place.  He  was  sent  here 
to  hunt  up  the  wounded,  and  he  has  left  without 
giving  the  doctor  any  information  at  all,  —  just 
frightened  out  of  his  wits. 

April  6,  Thursday,  VENDOME. 

This  morning  finds  us  at  Vendome.  A  week 
ago  to-morrow  we  left  here,  and  now  we  are  back. 
It  seems  a  month.  I  had  such  a  horrid,  anxious 
time.  I  must  go  to  my  friends  the  first  thing ;  so, 
as  soon  as  we  had  seen  the  doctor,  to  learn  how 
long  we  are  to  remain  here,  we  (the  two  Sisters 
who  travel  with  the  train  and  myself)  went  to  the 
Ruins  and  to  the  Cathedral, — which  is  well  worth 
seeing,  —  and  then  to  the  F.'s.1  They  were  so 
cordial  and  glad  to  see  me,  and  insisted  that  I 
should  stop  with  them;  but  that  I  could  not  do, 
as  we  may  leave  at  any  moment.  We  await  only 
a  despatch  from  St.  Calais. 

It  was  well  that  I  did  not  stay  in  the  town ;  for 
the  doctor  sent  for  me  at  nine  o'clock  to  ask  if 
I  were  willing  to  go  to  St.  Calais  for  him.  The 
snrgeon-in-chief  had  gone  to  Blois,  he  (the  doc 
tor)  could  not  leave,  and  I  was  the  only  one  who 

1  See  p.  252. 
18 


274     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

could  speak  French.  I  was  delighted,  of  course. 
Besides,  I  can  go  where  I  will  without  fear,  as 
all  in  the  town  know  me,  and  I  have  only  to  de 
clare  myself  an  American  to  find  friends  every 
where.  So  early  in  the  morning  I  shall  go  into 
the  town  to  find  a  carriage  and  start  for  St.  Calais. 


April  7,  Good  Friday, 

I  have  passed  such  a  pleasant  day.  It  is  a 
beautiful  drive  to  St.  Calais,  and  the  little  town 
is  a  charming  place,  lying  under  the  hills,  so  white 
and  clean,  and  with  a  curious  old  church  in  the 
Roman  style,  with  quaint  carvings  and  statues. 
There  is  a  ruin,  too,  very  old.  I  had  time,  while 
the  horses  rested,  to  see  all.  I  then  started  back 
with  my  one  poor  fellow  who  had  been  so  long 
lying  in  the  hospital  here  alone.  At  first  he  did 
not  want  to  come.  He  felt  safe  in  the  hospital, 
and  thought,  when  he  got  out,  the  people  would 
be  so  bad  to  him.  But  after  we  started  he  was 
very  glad,  and  arrived  here  not  so  much  tired  as 
I  expected  he  would  be.  It  was  quite  dark  when 
we  arrived,  and,  as  we  leave  in  the  morning,  I 
shall  not  have  time  to  say  adieu  to  my  dear  friends 
here. 

April  8,  Saturday,  CORBEIL. 

All  the  day  we  have  had  the  most  charming 
drive  through  such  a  lovely  land.  As  we  near 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     275 

Paris,  it  becomes  every  moment  more  beautiful. 
We  left  Vendome  very  early,  stopped  at  Chateau 
—  ,  found  two  men  there,  and  stopped  for  an 
hour  at  -  .  The  country  is  here  very  beautiful, 
the  fruit-trees  all  in  blossom,  and  everywhere  such 
splendid  chateaux.  Wherever  we  stop  the  people 
flock  to  see  the  cars,  —  the  first  ambulance  train 
they  have  ever  seen.  Everywhere  we  heard  such 
bad  news  from  Paris.  In  one  place,  near  Juvisy, 
we  saw  from  the  cars  a  long  artillery  train  com 
ing  from  one  point  to  attack  the  city  in  another. 
The  most  demoralized  soldiers  (not  even  except 
ing  the  Southerners  after  the  War  was  over)  that 
I  have  ever  seen  are  these  Frenchmen,  —  dirty, 
ragged,  haggard,  miserable-looking  fellows.  I 
cannot  conceive  how  the  army  ever  had  the  pres 
tige  that  it  had.  Such  women  and  men  as  one  sees 
in  the  fields  cannot  bear  heroes.  Juvisy  looked 
bright  and  pleasant.  It  is  a  lovely  town;  and  I 
saw  the  two  castles  where  I  passed  those  two 
nights  here.  I  'm  glad  it  's  not  so  cold  now  as 
then.  There  are  still  Prussian  soldiers  here.  It 
seemed  very  good  to  see  them  again. 


(?)],  April  9,  Easter  Sunday. 

We  stayed  at  Corbeil  till  the  afternoon.  I  took 
a  long  walk,  and  heard  Mass  in  the  old  church. 
I  never  saw  such  stupid  girls  as  these  Sisters. 


276     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

They  are  content  to  stay  in  the  cars  and  never 
see  one  thing.  It  was  just  so  with  the  two  Sis 
ters  in  Vendome;  all  the  time  we  were  there  they 
saw  nothing,  and  yet  were  never  half  so  much 
with  their  men  as  I  was.  We  used  to  walk,  and 
I  must  always  say  "  Look  there,"  or  they  would 
see  nothing.  "  Born  blind."  It 's  my  third  visit 
here,  so  I  feel  quite  at  home.  We  ride  as  far  as 
Sans  to-night. 

CHAUMONT,  April  10,  Monday. 

We  arrived  here  at  noon  and  stayed  all  the  rest 
of  the  day.  I  was  so  provoked  that  I  did  not  see 
the  town,  which  is  very  lovely;  but  they  told  me 
we  might  go  at  any  moment,  as  we  were  only 
waiting  for  a  despatch.  Nothing  is  so  dreary  as 
waiting  at  a  railroad  station.  The  day,  too,  has 
been  so  beautiful. 

[NANCY],  April  n,  Tuesday. 

We  left  Chaumont  only  this  morning.  The  ride 
has  been  very  nice  to-day,  especially  the  last  part, 
as  we  neared  Nancy.  The  crops  are  all  in,  and 
the  grain  looks  miserable.  I  don't  see  what  the 
people  will  do  another  year  for  food.  We  arrived 
at  Nancy  some  time  in  the  night. 

April  12,  Wednesday,  NANCY. 

All  the  day  long  I  have  been  in  the  city,  —  in 
the  morning  with  one  Sister,  in  the  afternoon  with 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      277 

the  other,  —  so  I  am  thoroughly  tired  to-night.  I 
saw  only  my  friend  the  German  Sister  at  the 
convent  De  la  bonne  Chretienne.  The  person  I 
most  wished  to  see,  von  Havernich,  is  not  here. 
I  shall  never  forget  that  man's  kindness  to  me 
[presumably  while  seeking  her  lost  trunk]  when 
I  was  here  a  stranger.  He  had  gone  to  Metz  for 
the  day. 

April  13,  Thursday. 

We  left  Nancy  and  have  travelled  all  day 
through  Lorraine.  Immediately  one  can  see  that 
he  is  in  another  land.  The  German  element  is 
very  perceptible,  the  houses  and  villages  are  so 
different.  The  people  mostly  speak  German,  too. 

April  15,  MUNICH,  Saturday. 

It  is  delightful  to  be  here,  it 's  such  an  interest 
ing  city.  I  intended,  after  breakfast,  to  go  alone 
into  the  city,  but  it  rained  hard.  Besides,  the 
doctor  sent  word  that  all  must  stay  in,  as  the 
queen  comes.  I  have  not  the  slightest  desire  to 
see  her;  but  one  must  obey  orders.  (Later.) 
The  queen  has  been  here;  but  I  did  not  see  her. 
The  Sisters  are  quite  enthusiastic  over  her  amia 
bility,  etc.  It  still  rains.  I  'm  disappointed,  for 
Gustav  has  told  me  so  much  of  Munich,  I  want 
to  see  it  all. 


278      Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

April  1 6,  Sunday,  MUNICH. 

We  are  entertained  by  the  Sanitary  Commission, 
so  we  have  everything  good  to  eat  and  drink; 
and  after  breakfast  the  gentlemen  took  us  for  a 
drive  past  the  University  and  to  see  the  statue  of 
Bavaria.  That  alone  is  worth  coming  here  to  see. 
The  Temple  is  beautiful,  too,  in  the  court  of  which 
it  stands,  and  is  filled  with  busts  of  illustrious  men. 
It  looks  out  on  the  immense  plain  where  the  Octo 
ber  festival  is  held,  so  vast,  so  green,  and  the  whole 
city  lying  beyond.  From  there  we  went  to  the 
cemetery,  filled  with  beautiful  works  of  art,  but  all 
crowded  and  jumbled  together.  The  saddest  sight 
I  have  ever  seen  is  the  dead  house,  where  all  the 
dead  must  lie  three  days  in  full  dress  with  wreaths 
and  flowers,  uncoffined  for  all  the  world  to  see, 
before  they  can  be  buried.  I  think  there  were 
twenty  there,  some  children  of  only  a  day  or  so, 
and  some  people  so  very  old.  We  leave  to-night 
at  nine  for  Nuremberg,  where  we  stay  a  day. 

NURNBERG,  April  17,  Monday. 

This  is  the  most  marvellous  old  town  I  have 
ever  seen.  Every  house  is  a  study,  the  people  are 
so  friendly,  and  the  streets  are  so  crooked  and 
steep  and  queer.  We  went  first  to  the  churches, 
and  then  to  the  Fortress  and  Museum,  where  are 
kept  all  the  horrible  instruments  of  torture.  I  can- 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      279 

not  realize  that  so  late  as  1863  a  man  was  here 
tortured,  with  his  wife,  for  stealing.  They  were 
put  into  a  large  cradle  filled  with  iron  spikes,  and 
there  rocked  for  some  hours.  The  woman  died, 
I  'm  glad  to  say ;  but  the  man  lived  and  was  after 
wards  imprisoned  for  eight  years.  Here  were  the 
wheels  and  ladders,  racks,  iron  whips,  iron  masks, 
- 1  cannot  remember  all  the  horrible  things  I  saw. 
We  went  then  to  a  beer  house  four  hundred  years 
old  to  drink  beer  and  eat  sausage  and  Sauerkraut. 

FULDA,  April  1 8,  Tuesday. 

The  ride  has  been  very  fine  to-day  among  the 
mountains,  their  high  points  crowned  with  old 
castles  and  ruins,  the  little  villages  with  their  red 
roofs  looking  so  cosey,  the  people,  when  we  stop, 
so  friendly.  We  stopped  for  a  while  at  Neuhof, 
and  I  was  so  struck  with  the  people  as  they  came 
from  the  little  church.  Every  one  had  a  bright 
handkerchief  tied  on  the  head,  a  large  woollen 
scarf  crossed  on  the  breast  and  tied  behind,  and 
a  strip  of  velvet  around  the  skirt,  the  colors  being 
of  every  conceivable  shade.  The  effect  was  beau 
tiful.  They  had  such  sympathy  for  the  sick  men 
and  for  us  who  cared  for  them.  One  woman  tried 
to  give  me  two  little  pieces  of  money.  I  could 
not  take  them,  but  the  act  touched  my  heart  with 
such  a  glow.  I  wish  now  I  had  taken  one  as  a 


280     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

memento.  She  looked  very  poor,  and  told  me  that 
she  had  lost  her  only  son  in  the  war.  Fulda  seems 
to  be  a  fine  and  rich  city,  but  we  cannot  see  it. 
We  leave  all  our  sick  here;  I  do  not  know  why. 
Only  two  or  three  go  to  Berlin  with  us. 

April  19,  BERLIN,  Wednesday. 

We  arrived  here  at  noon  to-day.  I  hurried  for 
letters,  but  found  only  one,  of  January,  from  J. 
It 's  so  strange,  and  has  quite  dampened  the  spirits 
I  was  in  at  getting  here.  I  have  to  comfort 
myself  writing  to  them  and  also  to  Madame  von 
Roemer  [her  sister-in-law]. 


CHAPTER    X 

ARRIVING  in  Tharant  in  April,  1871, 
Mrs.  von  Olnhausen  shared  the  life  of 
her  husband's  sisters  and  other  relatives 
for  more  than  two  years.  As  will  appear,  this 
visit  was  interspersed  with  journeys  to  Berlin,  to 
the  family-seat  at  Zwickau,  to  Prague,  and,  in  the 
spring  of  1873,  to  Italy  and  France.  This  longer 
journey  was  taken  in  the  capacity  of  companion 
to  a  widow  whose  nervous  invalidism  made  the 
care  of  her  an  exacting  and  not  altogether  pleasant 
task.  Glad  as  Mrs.  Olnhausen  was  to  get  this 
wider  view  of  Europe,  she  was  not  a  little  re 
lieved  when  the  time  for  ending  this  temporary 
companionship  came,  and  she  could  return  to  what 
was  now  a  home  to  her  in  Saxony.  The  von 
Olnhausen  relatives  were  most  cordial  and  de 
voted,  and  urged  her  to  remain  with  them  indefi 
nitely;  but  their  brother's  wife  was  too  sturdy  an 
American,  was  too  deeply  attached  to  Massachu 
setts  and  to  Lexington,  to  permit  of  her  staying 
abroad  longer  than  until  the  fall  of  1873. 


282      Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

The  letters  from  Germany  are  very  voluminous 
and  are  practically  intact.  But  the  greater  part 
of  their  contents  is  of  too  personal  and  intimate  a 
character  for  publication.  Sufficient  extracts  will  be 
given,  however,  to  present  the  extraordinary  jux 
taposition  of  a  perfectly  unconventional  American 
and  her  strictly  conventional  German  sisters-in- 
law,  brought  up  in  the  atmosphere  of  genera 
tions  of  Freiherr  tradition.  Their  brother's 
widow  was  an  unending  surprise  and  shock  to 
them.  She  was  as  scornful  of  German  usage  as 
of  the  intricacies  of  German  grammar.  To  her 
the  elaborate  etiquette  of  the  German  upper  class 
was  as  superfluous  as  the  cases  and  genders  of 
the  elaborate  German  tongue;  and  she  usually 
flouted  both.  To  her  the  limitations  placed  upon 
the  actions  of  their  women  were  as  absurd  as  the 
variations  in  their  conjugations;  and  she  took  a 
free-born  American's  delight  in  ignoring  the  one 
and  the  other.  But  her  unconventionality,  and 
her  love  and  practice  of  liberty,  could  not  con 
ceal,  even  from  the  eyes  of  German  tradition, 
the  nobility  of  her  nature,  the  fundamental  good- 
breeding  of  the  real  gentlewoman.  And,  how 
ever  she  might  scorn  local  and  extraneous  usages, 
she  was  too  true  a  woman  ever  to  go  counter  to 
essential  courtesies.  Therefore  not  simply  as  the 
widow  of  their  dearly  loved  brother,  but  for  her- 


\ 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     283 

self,  those  fine  old  German  aristocrats  took  her  to 
their  hearts,  and  took  her  also  —  of  course  with 
apologies  for  America,  but  never  with  apologies 
for  her  —  into  that  exclusive  society  which  the 
average  American  can  see  only  from  outside.  The 
following  letters,  shorn  as  they  must  be  of  person 
alities,  can  give  but  an  inadequate  picture  of  that 
life  which,  in  their  entirety,  they  set  forth  so  well. 
Those  previous  to  June  15  are  too  personal  to  be 
given. 

THARANT,  June  15,  1871. 

The  paper  you  sent  is  the  only  American  paper 
I  have  read  since  I  left  America.  How  long  ago 
that  seems !  Do  send  me  the  other  one  you  spoke 
of,  if  you  can  find  a  copy.  I  wish  to  see  my 
self  in  print.  As  to  the  story  of  the  Irishman's 
leg,  I  've  forgotten  about  it ;  did  I  really  cut 
it  off? 

I  told  you  in  my  last  about  J.  [Frau  von 
Roemer]  ;  she  perfectly  worships  Gustav's  mem 
ory,  and  is  good  as  pie  to  me  because  he  loved 
me.  I  think,  as  she  and  L.  [Frau  von  Rohr- 
scheidt]  say,  they  would  carry  me  on  their  hands 
when  they  could.  L.'s  husband  was  a  Colonel, 
who  died  a  little  more  than  a  year  ago;  he  had 
six  children  when  he  married  her,  and  they  had 
three;  but  all  of  them  love  her  so  much.  One  is 
a  Colonel,  one  a  Major,  two  were  Captains,  and 


284     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

have  left  the  service.  Of  these  one  has  a  rich 
wife  and  immense  estates,  the  other  married  a 
noblewoman  in  every  sense  of  the  word;  she 
had  no  money,  though,  so  he  is  a  coal-merchant; 
and  all  the  family,  except  the  mother,  are  so  in 
dignant  when  they  see  the  wagons  go  by  with 
von  Rohrscheidt  on  them.  He  says  he  is  much 
prouder  of  that  title  than  if  he  were  idle  and  were 
called  Count,  and  he  means,  too,  that  his  children 
shall  be  so  proud  of  it  that  they  will  add  it  to 
their  coat-of-arms. 

You  ask  me  how  I  look.  I  'm  not  so  horrid 
fat  now,  though  I  am  by  no  means  wasted;  but 
my  clothes  feel  more  comfortable,  and,  when  my 
hair  is  dressed,  for  an  old  lady  who  must  wear 
glasses  I  look  pretty  spranky.  J.  is  so  interested, 
as  is  L.,  in  all  of  you.  She  remembers  everything 
Gustav  ever  wrote  about  you  all,  and  I  think  reads 
his  letters  over  every  week.  The  dear  Uncle  K. 
is  dead ;  when  he  heard  of  Gustav' s  death,  he  said 
he  wanted  to  live  no  longer.  He  placed  all  his 
letters  on  the  table,  and  always  had  them  there 
till  he  died ;  read  them  over  and  over,  and  often 
said  he  had  nothing  more  to  live  for  now  his  dear 
son  was  dead,  for  he  always  had  felt  Gustav  was 
his  son.  I  have  seen  Uncle  K.'s  sister,  a  proud 
old  lady,  in  Dresden ;  she  kissed  me,  held  me  long 
in  her  arms,  and  said  I  was  a  happy  woman  to 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      285 

be  loved  by  such  a  man.  She  is  such  a  wonderful 
specimen  of  an  old-fashioned  lady,  —  so  straight, 
so  well  and  richly  dressed,  and  so  ceremonious; 
I  guess  she  never  forgets  herself.  She  is  eighty- 
five,  is  such  a  little  thing,  and  steps  around  like 
a  princess.  She  seemed  to  me  just  like  some  fairy 
godmother  who  could  turn  us  all  into  gold  and 
silver  if  she  would.  I  shall  pass  a  day  with  her 
soon. 

Before  I  finish  my  letter  I  must  say  a  little 
about  the  German  fighting.  I  agree  that  they 
are  good  fighters,  but  not  that  they  are  the  best 
soldiers  in  the  world.  I  have  had  a  chance  to  see 
both  wars,  and  I  'm  sure  I  don't  boast  in  saying 
that  the  Americans  were  the  better  of  the  two. 
We  had  a  much  worse  enemy  to  contend  with. 
What  had  the  Germans?  A  people  who  at  first 
did  n't  want  to  fight,  hated  their  leaders  and  Em 
peror,  never  had  one  good  general,  were  perfectly 
unprepared  and  undisciplined,  were  badly  clothed 
and  fed  from  the  first,  and  felt  their  inferiority. 
The  leaders  had  no  faith  in  the  men,  and  the  men 
no  faith  in  the  officers.  Two  of  the  best  fought 
battles  were  lost  by  the  disobedience  of  the  sol 
diers,  who  would  have  fires  though  strictly  for 
bidden.  There  was  no  sentiment  on  either  side, 
as  with  us,  and  the  Germans  had  only  to  go  right 
along  and  take,  or  buy,  everything.  I  like  the 


286     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

Germans  well  enough,  Lord  knows;  but  I  want 
to  see  them  fight  with  a  real  nation  before  I 
quite  yield  the  palm  to  them.  When  I  think 
of  all  we  had  to  contend  with,  I  think  again 
that  that  was  the  War  of  the  world. 

THARANT,  July  13,  1871. 

Although  I  fully  enjoy  European  life,  when  the 
time  comes  to  go  home,  I  shall  be  ready  to  enjoy 
more  than  ever  our  own  land.  I  feel  every  day 
more  proud  that  I  am  an  American.  Only  by 
going  to  America  can  one  get  out  of  the  narrow 
circle  that  binds  one  down  here,  especially  in  the 
life  of  the  aristocrats.  I  guess  the  Burghers  know 
how  to  have  a  better  time ;  the  fear  of  what  people 
will  say  is  not  so  great  with  them.  For  my  part, 
I  don't  care.  I  won't  do  anything  unladylike, — or 
what  I  think  is  so,  —  but  if  I  choose  to  go  through 
the  street  of  this  little  town  without  gloves  or  in 
a  calico  morning-dress  early  in  the  day,  I  do  it; 
moreover,  I  speak  to  people,  even  if  they  have 
not  a  half-dozen  titles.  As  to  saying  all  the  polite 
things  that  one  must  say  here,  that's  entirely  too 
tiresome. 

I  came  back  [from  Dresden]  the  3d  of  July;  it 
was  the  first  morning  of  the  return  of  the  soldiers, 
and  I  found  the  town  beautifully  decorated  with 
triumphal  arches,  and  with  garlands  and  wreaths 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     287 

hung  from  every  house.  As  the  soldiers  marched 
through,  the  ladies,  all  dressed  in  the  Saxon  colors 
(white  and  green)  and  looking  very  charming, 
threw  bouquets,  and  gave  them  beer  and  bread 
and  butter.  The  castle  of  Count  Zokorisky  (have 
I  told  you  about  him?)  was  hung  with  garlands 
and  flags  and  looked  splendid.  Even  the  old  ruins 
were  decorated. 

The  first  regiment,  the  Crown  Prince's  favorite, 
was  quartered  here.  All  the  officers  are  noblemen, 
and  the  people  were,  consequently,  delighted  to 
have  them.  The  sisters  would  not  have  officers, 
so  had  each  two  or  three  soldiers,  who  were  fed 
and  cared  for  like  children.  It  seemed  as  if  L. 
could  not  do  enough  for  them,  —  besides  beer  and 
all  sorts  of  things  for  dinner,  they  must  have  a 
bottle  of  wine  and  cigars,  and  she  was  always 
cooking  for  them. 

I  believe  every  day  but  one  the  city  has  given  a 
concert,  sometimes  ending  with  a  dance.  We  go 
at  three  with  our  work  (the  German  women  would 
die  without  their  knitting),  and  talk  over  coffee, 
being  always  joined  by  some  acquaintances.  Not 
the  least  amusing  part  is  watching  the  people. 
When  we  have  been  at  home,  we  have  had  many 
visitors;  for  L.'s  husband  was  formerly  in  the 
same  regiment,  and  all  the  older  officers  were 
friends.  Twice  we  were  serenaded,  too;  so  with 


288       fdventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

the  continual  repairs  necessary  to  bring  my  shabby 
wardrobe  up  to  the  required  elegance,  you  can  see 
I  had  really  not  a  moment  to  write. 

For  the  Grand  Review  I  received  a  ticket  to 
go  with  all  those  who  nursed  in  the  war.  The 
Tribune  was  especially  for  us;  we  all  wore  our 
Sanitary  scarf  with  the  red  cross,  and  there  was 
not  a  better  place  to  see  in  all  the  city.  I  went 
in  from  here  [to  Dresden]  at  six  in  the  morning, 
took  coffee  with  the  S.'s,  and  then  drove  in  their 
carriage  to  see  the  decorations  of  the  city,  which 
were  the  finest  I  ever  saw.  This  took  two  hours, 
and  we  came  back  for  breakfast  at  eleven.  Then 
we  went  to  the  Tribune,  which  was  rather  killing, 
it  was  so  hot,  and  it  was  twelve  before  the  proces 
sion  began. 

First  came  the  king,  a  little,  old,  bent-up  man 
in  uniform,  looking  not  at  all  kingly;  then  the 
queen,  who  looks  good,  with  her  daughter  and 
grand-daughter,  the  Crown  Princess  and  Princess 
George,  who  every  one  said  was  handsome,  but 
not  one  of  whom  looked  so  to  me.  I  was  so  mad, 
too,  that  they  did  n't  have  crowns  on  their  heads 
and  sceptres  in  their  hands,  with  spangled  gar 
ments,  as  we  always  see  them  painted.  I  know  if 
I  were  a  queen,  I  'd  be  one. 

Processions  are  always  alike,  I  suppose,  but 
really  this  did  not  seem  half  so  fine  as  some  I  've 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     289 

seen  at  home.  I  was  quite  disappointed  in  it.  I 
think,  in  the  first  place,  the  soldiers  don't  compare 
with  ours,  and  there  was  so  little  enthusiasm  with 
both  the  soldiers  and  the  people.  I  remember  the 
review  day  [of  the  troops  returned  from  the  Civil 
War]  in  Boston  when  every  step  was  a  heartfelt 
ovation. 

At  nine  in  the  evening  we  went  out  to  see  the 
illuminations,  which  were  n't  very  good,  after  all ; 
and  then  came  a  thunder-gust  and  blew  them  all 
out  and  sent  us  scampering  home. 

I  am  not  even  allowed  to  dress  my  hair ;  every 
thing  is  done  for  me  as  if  I  were  a  child,  —  and 
such  people!  I  suppose  these  grandees  would  be 
shocked  to  know  I  had  ever  stood  at  a  washtub 
three  days  at  a  time.  I,  too,  begin  to  forget  all 
about  it,  and  already  am  very  much  like  the  young 
damsel  who  forgot  what  a  rake  was. 

[  Written  to  a  child] 

THARANT,  July  26,  1871. 

I  must  first  of  all  tell  you  about  the  Children's 
Festival  (Kinder fest)  yesterday,  which  was  so 
beautiful.  Ever  so  many  years  ago  somebody 
died  and  left  money  to  the  city  for  giving  every 
year,  in  July,  a  festival  to  the  children  (that  was 
a  good  man,  I  'm  sure,  and  for  that  deed  he  must 
have  gone  straight  to  heaven)  ;  so  every  July 
that  comes.  Rich  and  poor  all  unite  on  that  day. 

19 


290     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

There  were  hundreds  there;  all  the  children  must 
have  a  wreath,  and,  however  poor  the  mother  is, 
she  will  have  a  white,  or  pretty  calico,  dress  for 
the  children.  Even  the  babies  in  the  wagons  had 
wreaths  on.  In  the  morning  at  five  o'clock  the 
drum  beats  all  through  the  town  to  waken  them. 
They  are  all  washed  and  dressed  neatly,  but  not 
in  their  best  (that  comes  later),  and  all  meet  in 
the  market-place,  where  they  form  a  procession 
and  march  with  music  and  singing  to  the  school 
garden,  where  a  tree  is  planted.  They  go  all 
through  the  town  with  banners  (I  forgot  to  say 
that  the  teacher  makes  in  the  garden  an  address, 
the  preacher  a  prayer,  and  they  sing  a  hymn,  all 
very  short,  but  nice).  The  sheriff  goes  before 
with  two  other  officials,  and  orders  everybody  out 
of  the  road. 

After  this  they  all  go  home  for  rest  till  three 
o'clock,  and  then  come  together,  old  and  young, 
in  a  large  garden  here  with  a  wonderful  lawn,  and 
there  they  dance  and  play  all  sorts  of  plays,  and 
sing  and  have  a  feast,  —  a  very  simple  one,  beer 
and  a  kind  of  buns,  and  bread  and  butter.  Every 
year  they  make  a  subscription  among  the  people 
and  have  a  lottery;  the  teachers  give  each  child 
a  ticket,  and  every  one  has  a  prize;  and  it 's  so  nice 
to  see  the  bright  faces.  They  all  go  home  in  the 
twilight  as  far  as  the  market-place  with  music 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     291 

and  banners;  there  the  teachers  say  adieu,  and 
all  the  little  white  darlings  scamper  home  with 
their  treasures.  It  was  so  pretty,  and  everybody 
had  such  a  good  time. 

The  children  here  have  such  a  pretty  fashion; 
after  they  have  eaten,  they  go  all  around  the  table 
and  kiss  the  hands,  and  to  the  father  and  mother 
they  say,  "  I  thank  you  for  my  dinner,"  or  what 
ever  meal  it  is  (ich  danke  filr  mein  Essen) ;  is  n't 
it  nice  ?  Another  pretty  thing  is,  the  youngest  one 
at  the  table  always  is  called  upon  to  ask  the  bless 
ing.  It  was  so  lovely  the  other  day ;  some  friends 
were  here  with  a  little  girl  of  four  years;  she 
folded  her  little  white  hands  and  spoke  so  rever 
ently;  it  was  beautiful. 

This  is  a  queer,  quaint  old  town  altogether; 
a  stream  about  ten  feet  wide  runs  through  the 
middle  of  it ;  on  each  side  is  the  street ;  of  course 
it 's  very  crooked  because  it  follows  the  stream. 
Then  everybody  has  put  his  house  just  where  he 
wanted  it;  so  there  are  all  sorts  of  angles,  now 
wide,  now  narrow.  Nearly  close  behind  the 
houses  rise  the  mountains,  so  most  of  the  gar 
dens  are  terraced  up;  the  stream  is  crossed  by 
little  foot-bridges,  very  shaky  and  badly  railed; 
so  every  now  and  then  somebody  tumbles  in,  and 
is  taken  out  with  broken  bones.  This  week  a  lady 
died  who  fell  in  one  dark  night;  but  still  nothing 
is  done  about  it. 


292     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

THARANT,  July  28,  1871. 

Sister  L.  has  the  most  wonderful  hens  for  lay 
ing  I  have  ever  seen;  I  don't  know  what  breed 
they  are;  some  are  speckled  and  some  black.  She 
always  keeps  ten  and  a  cockerel  (I  'm  sure  I  don't 
know  how  to  spell  that  word)  ;  and  from  the  first 
of  March  till  to-day  they  have  laid  seven  hundred 
and  eighty  eggs.  Sister  has  a  regular  hen-book, 
which  is  kept  with  such  care;  all  she  buys  for 
them  and  all  they  do.  She  is  very  methodical  in 
everything;  indeed,  I  think  all  the  people  are 
much  more  so  than  by  us.  Everything  is  kept 
under  lock;  the  sugar-bowl  (or  rather  box)  is 
always  locked,  and  the  tea  too.  All  the  drawers 
and  closets,  and  even  the  comb  and  brush  box,  are 
locked;  for  my  life  I  can't  get  used  to  this  cus 
tom,  and  they  are  always  running  after  me  with 
my  keys,  which  I  'm  sure  to  leave  in  the  lock. 

Sister  gives  her  maid  twenty  thalers  a  year  and 
her  living,  and  how  she  does  have  to  work !  Ours 
would  think  they  must  die  with  it  all.  Nobody 
has  carpets;  so  all  the  floors  have  to  be  scrubbed, 
great  brass  door  handles  and  locks  must  shine 
every  day,  brass  pots  and  pans  for  cooking  in 
numerable  glisten  like  gold,  every  morning  the 
windows  must  all  be  wiped  and  very  often  washed. 
Moreover,  there  are  the  hens  to  feed,  the  garden 
to  tend,  all  the  ironing  to  do,  and  most  of  the 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     293 

washing,  the  stone  stairs  of  the  house  from  top 
to  bottom  to  whitewash  once  or  twice  a  week,  all 
the  errands  to  do,  besides  all  the  ordinary  house 
work,  which  is  not  light.  What  would  Miss  Biddy 
say  to  this  ?  And  all  without  a  murmur.  The  ser 
vant  women  save  money,  and  some  time  will  marry 
and  be  able  to  buy  a  cow  and  pig,  and  perhaps  a 
dog  and  wagon  to  carry  their  milk  to  market. 

STERNE,  near  PRAGUE,  August  19,  1871. 
I  tried  to  write  you  before  I  left  Tharant,  but 
it  seemed  impossible,  for  we  would  make  the 
house  very  fine  for  the  mother  when  she  comes 
home.  You  see  these  Deutchers  [sic]  would  go 
on  for  hundreds  of  years  and  never  move  a  chair 
or  table  from  its  original  place ;  but  I  saw  at  once 
so  much  that  could  be  bettered.  I  took  advantage 
of  L.'s  absence  and  whisked  everything  about.  M. 
[Fratilein  von  Rohrscheidt]  at  first  looked  on  in 
surprise ;  but  pretty  soon  the  same  spirit  came  over 
her,  and,  whit,  the  whole  aspect  of  the  house  was 
changed.  We  sawed  down  uncomfortable  tables 
and  chairs,  took  off  doors  and  hung  curtains  in 
their  place,  and  hung  the  mirrors  so  that  people 
could  see  their  elegance  in  them.  I  knew  if  I 
did  not  do  all  this  myself,  M.  would  never  dare, 
and  I  'm  sure  L.  will  be  pleased  because  I  have 
done  it;  she  is  quite  foolish  about  me. 


294     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

The  entrance  to  Prague  is  most  beautiful, 
especially  through  the  Baumgarten,  which  is  the 
pleasure-ground;  and  the  view  of  the  city  with 
its  hundred  towers  and  its  splendid  castles  can't 
be  described. 

We  got  up  ever  so  early,  for  the  children  (L.  has 
four)  wanted  to  see  the  wonderful  [great-] aunt 
from  America,  and  there  was  no  sleeping  after 
they  were  awake.  The  moment  we  had  coffee  the 
children  were  made  ready,  and  we  all  came  out 
here  with  our  work  into  this  immense  garden,  — 
"  King's  Garden ; "  and  here  we  have  sat  all  day 
long.  Look  where  you  will  are  groups  of  people 
sitting  at  tables  or  on  the  grass,  eating,  drinking 
beer,  knitting,  or  sewing.  Hand-organs  are  grind 
ing,  and  everybody,  when  a  drum  is  played,  joins 
in  the  wild  dance,  —  mothers  with  their  children, 
maids  with  their  little  boys  and  girls ;  it 's  too 
pretty. 

This  is  a  favorite  summer  place,  with  the  most 
abominable  holes  to  sleep  in;  but  nobody  stays 
a  moment  indoors.  After  they  have  had  coffee, 
all  take  dinner  and  supper  here.  Living  is  so 
cheap  in  this  land;  there  were  to-day  three  of  us 
grown  people  and  four  children,  and  our  whole 
dinner — beer  and  all — cost  not  quite  fifty  cents; 
and  we  had  a  right  good  one,  —  Schnitzel  (veal 
cooked  in  some  good  way);  Dampfnudeln  (I'll 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     295 

send  you  the  receipt  for  them)  ;  beef  with  ale 
sauce  (which  is  real  good),  and  beer.  That  I 
don't  drink,  so  I  had  a  glass  of  white  wine;  but 
you  should  see  the  Bohemians  once  drink  —  no, 
not  drink;  they  open  their  mouths  and  let  it  run 
down,  —  men,  women,  and  children.  There  has 
been  no  rain  here  for  some  weeks,  and  the  leaves 
are  falling  from  drought.  The  wells  are  kept 
locked,  and  all  the  washing  water  must  be  bought 
and  brought  up  the  steep  hill  on  the  backs  of 
these  poor,  overworked  women  in  a  kind  of  wooden 
tub,  which  is  so  heavy.  It  makes  my  heart  ache 
to  see  how  the  poor  must  work  here,  especially  the 
women. 

All  the  children  here  —  the  babies,  I  mean  — 
are  wrapped  up  to  the  arms  in  a  feather  or  down 
pillow,  which  is  bound  around  and  around  with 
bright  ribbon.  Think  of  it,  and  the  thermometer 
at  ninety;  and  when  they  go  in  the  wagon  they 
are  covered  with  a  down  cover  besides.  I  want 
to  fight  with  every  mother  over  this;  but  they  all 
say  the  babies  would  die  without  it. 

Good-night;  I  hope  you  will  sleep  better  than 
I  know  I  shall,  with  the  windows  closed  and 
with  four  children,  a  maid,  and  three  grown 
people  in  two  little  rooms;  it  is  worse  than  the 
prairie. 


296     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

THARANT,  September  9, 1871. 

Monday  I  took  my  last  turn  around  the  city 
[Prague]  and  felt  quite  mournful  that  I  should 
not  see  it  again.  I  wanted  especially  to  visit  the 
old  Jew  quarter  once  more.  With  all  its  filth  and 
smells,  it  is  most  interesting.  One  is  carried  back 
so  far  on  seeing  that  old  church  which  was  built 
in  five  or  six  hundred.  One  feels  really  dumb  in 
such  a  place. 

I  went  once  more  to  the  Hradschin,  the  palace 
of  the  kings  for  many  centuries.  I  wanted  to  see 
the  hungry  tower  that  no  one  else  cared  to  visit, 
they  think  it 's  so  horrible.  On  the  first  floor  are 
the  cells  where  the  state  prisoners  are  confined  for 
life.  Those  are  bad  enough;  but  below  them  is 
where  those  who  were  to  die  from  hunger  were 
placed.  Around  the  central  hall  are  the  smallest 
kind  of  cells,  where  men  were  chained  to  an 
immense  beam  running  across  a  grated  window. 
Here  they  must  listen  unceasingly  to  the  cries  of 
those  chained  in  the  circular  hall  to  a  stone  bench 
running  around  the  chamber.  In  the  middle  of 
this  chamber  is  a  round  hole,  which  is  the  en 
trance  to  another  very  deep  cell,  into  which  men 
were  lowered  by  a  rope.  One  by  one  they  were 
let  down  into  this  hole  to  die  of  hunger,  and  those 
above  must  hear  the  howls  and  ravings  of  these 
wretches,  unable  to  help  them,  and  knowing  it  to 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      297 

be  their  fate  also  to  die  in  the  same  way.  Men 
lived  generally  eight  or  nine  days  in  the  hunger 
cell,  and  then  the  bodies  were  thrown  into  a  still 
deeper  hole,  and  the  stench  from  that  made  it  even 
more  dreadful.  I  have  no  patience  when  one  talks 
of  the  "  good  old  times." 

I  felt  as  if  the  dust  of  ages  had  settled  on 
me  when  I  came  out  of  Prague,  all  is  so  quaint 
and  "  old-timey  "  there.  Of  all  the  places  where 
one  can  live  cheaply,  too,  it  is  the  first.  For  a 
half-thaler  a  day  one  is  luxurious.  The  wine 
is  delicious  and  too  cheap,  and  the  grapes  are 
displayed  in  piles;  one  can  eat  all  he  will  for  two 
kreutzers. 

When  we  got  back  here,  the  whole  house  was 
hung  with  garlands  and  wreaths,  the  loveliest  tea- 
table  was  set  out  with  flowers,  and  such  a  nice 
supper  was  ready.  The  Sisters  were  here  to  wel 
come  us. 

L.  is  the  dearest  soul  in  the  world,  but  she  has 
lived  in  the  narrowest  circle,  and  is  constantly 
afraid  of  running  against  some  old-time  custom. 
For  instance,  no  lady  was  ever  known  to  drive 
here.  Day  before  yesterday  a  Frau  von  K.  offered 
us  her  horse  and  carriage,  but  only  three  could  go 
in  it ;  so  I  said  I  'd  drive,  and  then  we  all  three 
could  go.  L.  was  horrified,  said  that  had  never 
been  known  in  the  annals  of  Dutchland;  and  it 


298     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

took  all  my  persuasive  powers  to  coax  her  to  go. 
Now  she  must  explain  to  every  one  that  American 
ladies  are  so  independent,  and  that  the  richest  and 
most  elegant  all  do  so  there.  It's  so  absurd.  I 
hope  I  sha'n't  do  anything  to  disgrace  my  nation 
ality,  but  I  feel  strongly  tempted  sometimes  to  do 
something  outrageous.  Now  the  ice  is  broken,  I 
shall  have  many  good  rides  about  this  beautiful 
country,  for  Sister  was  overjoyed  at  my  not  land 
ing  her  in  a  ditch,  and  will  gladly  go  again. 

THARANT,  November  20,  1871. 

We  went  to  a  grand  tea-party  one  night  last 
week.  First  place,  as  soon  as  we  came  in,  tea 
seasoned  with  vanilla  was  handed  round,  with 
cake  and  Zweiback,  a  kind  of  rusk.  Then  cards, 
talk,  and  a  little  music;  and  at  nine  supper,  in 
cluding  five  kinds  of  sausage  (Wurst),  herring 
salad,  Russian  salad,  sour  "  gouegous "  (pickles 
done  like  Sauerkraut),  roast  veal  cold,  roast  mut 
ton,  coffee,  two  or  three  kinds  of  cake,  wine, 
grapes,  and  pears,  cold  chicken,  jelly,  and,  last  of 
all,  Sandtorte,  the  most  horrible  old  cake  made 
out  of  potato  meal,  that  everybody  thinks  is  too 
nice;  it's  just  like  sand.  After  this  more  cards, 
music,  and  talk ;  consequently  a  very  wakeful 
night  and  a  fit  of  indigestion  next  day. 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      299 

THARANT,  Sunday,  November,  1871. 

Once  a  week  we  all  meet  and  sew  for  some 
poor  children,  and  on  Tuesdays  is  the  Erhol- 
ung,  when  all  the  aristocrats  meet  in  a  hall. 
Till  tea,  we  have  reading,  singing,  or  theatricals, 
and  after  that  the  old  folks  retire  to  the  walls, 
and  the  young  ones  dance  till  nearly  morning. 
These  have  only  just  commenced,  and  promise  to 
be  quite  nice,  —  but  the  ceremony !  At  the  last 
one  there  were  seven  Earls,  and  I  don't  know  how 
many  Barons,  most  of  them  being  students  in  the 
Forest  Academy,  besides  so  many  from  the  town! 
This  would  give  some  of  our  people  who  come 
abroad  talk  for  a  lifetime.  "  My  friend  the  Earl, 
etc.  —  "  Somehow  I  'm  not  a  bit  impressed  with 
the  imposing  situation.  I  see  nobody  more  ele 
gant  and  truly  aristocratic  than  I  know  at  home, 
who  are  only  Mr.  and  Mrs. ;  but  I  really  do  enjoy 
seeing  the  life  here,  and  I  have  come  to  be  very 
critical,  though  I  keep  my  thoughts  to  myself. 

On  the  twelfth  is  to  be  the  great  ball  of  the 
year,  where  I  expect  to  be  overwhelmed  with  the 
greatness  of  the  occasion.  It 's  the  king's  birth 
day.  I  'm  so  mad ;  I  'm  considered  too  old  to 
dance!  Of  course  I  really  am,  but  I  do  like  to 
so  much.  However,  the  next  best  thing  is  to  get 
beside  some  other  pleasant  old  lady  or  man  and 
laugh  over  all  one  sees.  It 's  rather  the  fashion 


300     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

to  talk  with  me  just  now,  as  I  'm  the  first  Ameri 
can  woman  who  has  ever  been  here  in  society,  and 
it  is  rather  refreshing,  I  guess,  to  see  something 
or  somebody  new.  I  think  I  ought  to  go  about 
with  a  striped  dress,  and  with  a  liberty  cap  on  my 
head,  for  everywhere  I  go  I  am  known  only  as 
"The  American;"  the  children  all  call  me  "Tante 
Amerika;  "  and  as  I  'm  always  presented  as  "  my 
sister  from  America,"  I  'm  more  often  addressed 
as  "  Frau  Amerika  "  than  by  any  other  name.  In 
France  I  was  always  called  "  Madame  Amerique," 
so  I  have  to  mind  my  P's  and  Q's  that  I  do  noth 
ing  to  discredit  my  dear  land. 

THARANT,  February  i,  1872. 

I  feel  sorry  that  I  have  not  written  for  so  long; 
but,  you  see,  when  a  fellow  goes  every  night  to 
a  party  or  ball,  and  all  the  day  has  to  make  ball- 
plunder  between  the  gaps,  how  can  he  write?  I 
never  dreamed  I  could  come  to  such  a  life;  truly, 
for  the  last  twelve  days  we  have  not  been  a  single 
night  at  home.  I  'm  at  my  wits'  ends  what  I  shall 
wear.  I  have  turned  and  twisted  my  whole  ward 
robe  many  times;  for  one  can't  wear  the  same 
thing  twice,  and  the  fortune  that  is  spent  in  deco 
rations!  I  think  every  family  has  given  or  will 
give  a  ball,  besides  the  Erhohmg  and  theatricals 
and  coffee.  I  have  been  invited  to  two  private 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      301 

balls  in  Dresden,  besides,  where  were  the  Crown 
Prince  and  Prince  George,  with  their  wives;  but 
I  had  to  decline;  it  would  cost  more  than  I  pos 
sess  to  buy  toilettes  for  them. 

I  wish  somebody  who  really  liked  great  people 
had  my  chance.  I  'm  sure  they  'd  come  home 
quite  set  up  with  their  titled  friends.  I  suppose 
I  'm  too  old  to  appreciate  such  things ;  anyway,  I 
don't  find  I  have  any  taste  for  the  great  world. 
I  am  sure,  though,  if  I  were  young  and  handsome  I 
should  be  entirely  spoiled ;  for  everywhere  I  go  I 
receive  so  much  attention.  But  I  'm  more  con 
tented  to  sit  in  a  corner  and  see  all,  and  have 
something  to  tell  you  about  when  I  come  home. 

Sister  is  in  the  city;  she  is  full  of  business 
these  days,  as  she  gives  a  great  dinner  on  my 
birthday  (Saturday).  All  the  family  are  invited, 
and  she  has  been  cooking  for  it  the  entire  week; 
the  house  is  scoured  from  top  to  bottom,  fresh 
curtains  are  everywhere,  and  garlands  and  flowers. 
Such  a  fuss !  You  would  think  it  was  the  queen's 
instead  of  my  birthday;  and  when  I  think  of  the 
contrast,  I  don't  believe  it  is  I  who  write  it.  We 
are  to  dine  in  the  big  room  upstairs,  and  all  the 
best  china  and  glass  is  already  there. 

If  J.  does  n't  come  and  take  me,  I  shall  go  to 
Russia  to  tend  the  wounded,  if  the  talked-of  war 
with  England  comes  off,  —  unless  we  have  the 


302      Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

predicted  war  with  Spain,  when,  of  course,  I  shall 
immediately  find  the  place  where  I  am  needed. 
My  last  experience  in  France  has  given  me  many 
new  ideas  with  regard  to  the  treatment  of  wounds ; 
my  long  rest  and  good  feeding  have  given  me 
strength  to  go  through  a  great  deal ;  and  my  idle 
ness  has  made  me  long  for  something  really  ear 
nest  to  do.  I  feel  like  a  wild  horse  with  the  bit  in 
the  mouth.  Of  course  I  don't  dare  speak  with  the 
sisters  about  all  this ;  they  can't  even  hear  of  my 
going  anywhere.  J.  is  too  funny;  she  is  just 
such  a  lover  as  Gustav  was,  and  I  never  open 
my  mouth  to  speak  that  she  does  not  fix  her  eyes 
on  me.  She  often  says,  "  Yes,  Marie,  I  know  now 
how  Gustav  loved  you."  The  sisters  all  have  said 
so  much  about  me  that  it  makes  the  people  here 
most  attentive  to  me.  Everywhere  I  go,  you  'd 
think  the  queen  had  come.  Then,  too,  I  suppose 
my  hodge-podge  language  is  amusing. 

THARANT,  February  3,  1872. 

I  am  just  as  happy  as  I  can  be  this  evening,  and 
you  too  will  be  for  me  when  I  tell  you  that  I  have 
at  last  what  I  have  so  long  wished  for,  —  a  gold 
watch.  This  has  been  such  a  pleasant  day.  The 
morning  was  beautiful,  as  the  3d  of  February 
always  is.  Sister  and  M.  came  to  me  very  early 
with  such  heartfelt  wishes,  and  I  found  a  birth- 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      303 

day  cake  and  many  flowers  when  I  went  to  break 
fast.  Then  came  my  little  maid,  Minna  Batch, 
with  a  wreath  and  a  picture  of  a  ship,  and  the 
best  wishes  written  in  a  very  crabbed  little  hand 
by  herself.  The  others  all  came  together,  and  all 
brought  me  flowers.  The  dinner  was  splendid. 
Many  toasts  were  drunk.  We  drank  many  times 
to  you  all  at  home;  then,  after  dinner,  coffee  and 
a  good  quiet  talk  together ;  and  so  we  sat  till  nine, 
when  they  went  home.  I  've  had  telegrams  and 
letters  from  all  the  relations,  and  feel  quite  set  up 
with  the  fuss  they  have  made  over  me. 

THARANT,  May  16,  1872. 

This  has  been  such  a  long,  dreary  time.  I  did 
not  tell  you  why  I  wrote  so  little,  for  I  would  not 
make  you'  anxious ;  but  Sister  L.  has  been  so  sick 
we  have  not  hoped  she  could  ever  be  well.  I  found 
it  was  better  that  one  of  us  took  the  house ;  so,  of 
course,  I  did.  I  've  had  a  regular  siege  of  cook 
ing  and  general  housework,  for  our  one  maid  is 
generally  running  errands.  There  are,  in  a  Ger 
man  house,  five  regular  meals  to  get:  the  morn 
ing  coffee  and  rolls,  the  nine-o'clock  breakfast, 
the  twelve-o'clock  dinner,  coffee  and  cake  at  three, 
and  the  Fesperbrod,  —  consequently  much  dish 
washing  and  cooking,  besides  providing  for  the 
outside  company  coming  at  unreasonable  times. 


304     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

At  night,  moreover,  coffee  and  something  to  eat 
for  the  watchers.  I  've  done  it  all  with  real  good 
will,  for  no  one  else  could,  since  M.  has  not  left 
her  mother  for  a  moment.  She  was  so  sick,  and 
such  doctors !  The  first  is  the  family  doctor,  — 
not  so  bad  when  one  is  not  much  sick.  We  all 
wanted  another  doctor,  however,  so  he  said  we 
must  have  the  one  he  usually  consulted  with.  I 
wonder  if  any  of  you  are  old  enough  to  remember 
an  old  doctor  that  used  to  come  to  see  Grandma 
Phinney  ?  I  can't  recall  his  name ;  but  he  was  un 
common  fat,  had  great  warts  on  his  nose,  stuffed 
it  forever  with  snuff,  coughed  and  wheezed,  and 
had  his  pockets  full  of  herbs  and  things  that  smell 
so  bitter  and  nasty.  Well,  this  second  doctor  was 
just  his  twin  cherry.  He  came  and  thumped  and 
punched  a  little,  and  said  it  was  rheumatism,  with 
a  high  degree  of  cold.  We  must  sweat  it  out;  so 
he  ordered  that  she  be  wrapped  from  head  to  toe  in 
tow  smoked  with  Wickrauch  [vetch-smoke  (?)], 
if  you  know  what  that  is.  I  only  know  it  smells 
good,  and  is  used  as  incense  in  Catholic  churches. 
Think  what  that  poor  soul  endured  for  eighteen 
hours;  even  the  hands  were  packed.  At  the  end 
of  that  time  she  lost  all  patience  and  hope,  and 
said  she  would  willingly  die,  but  she  would  not 
suffer  that  a  moment  longer.  We,  too,  were 
past  all  patience,  and  finally  telegraphed  to  the 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      305 

son  in  Dresden  to  bring  out  a  new-school  doctor. 
He  came  with  a  good  one,  who  examined  Sister 
thoroughly;  and  from  that  time,  with  his  treat 
ment,  she  began  to  mend.1 

THARANT,  August  19,  1872. 

Our  ride  home  [from  Prague]  was  too  pleasant; 
such  a  nice  day,  but  we  had  one  adventure.  Mr. 
C.  [an  American]  must  rush  out  at  Bodenbach 
for  a  cigar.  Waiting  for  his  change  made  him 
late,  so  he  jumped  on  after  the  starting  of  the 
cars,  which  is  a  high  crime  here.  Of  course  the 
people  called  out;  some  said,  "Jump  off,"  and 
others,  "  Hang  on  tight."  He,  not  understanding, 
was  quite  cool,  and  was  making  his  way  towards 
me,  when  it  whistled  down-brakes.  The  cars 
stopped  and  he  walked  in.  Then  you  should 
have  heard  the  storm,  —  the  conductors  all  talk 
ing  together,  and  the  Inspector  furious.  Mr.  C. 
sat  cool,  and  it  only  made  them  madder.  I  told 
them  he  could  not  understand,  that  he  was  an 
American,  and  "  sich  like."  They  said  they  did 
not  care  what  he  was;  but  when  I  appealed  to 
their  mercy,  saying  that  I  was  alone  there,  they 
consented  to  let  him  go  on,  and  we  thought  it 
was  all  over.  On  arriving  at  Dresden,  however, 
the  door  was  thrown  open,  the  Inspector  of  the 

1  She  survived,  however,  only  about  two  months. 
20 


306    Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

Dresden  Station  rushed  in  and  said  Mr.  C.  must 
come  with  him,  as  a  telegram  that  he  must  be 
punished  had  been  received,  and  marched  him  off. 
Of  course  a  big  crowd  collected,  and  everybody 
hollered,  and  nobody  stopped  to  hear,  till  I  got 
the  floor  and  told  them  how  it  all  happened ;  that, 
as  he  spoke  only  English,  all  was  lost  on  him. 
"  I  '11  make  him  hear,"  the  official  roared,  and 
called  for  some  other  Inspector  who  could  speak 
English.  The  man  came,  and  after  much  conver 
sation  they  finally  condescended  to  forgive  him, 
with  particular  injunctions  never  to  do  so  again. 
He  said  very  meekly  he  wouldn't!  and  the  dis 
appointed  crowd  dispersed. 

THARANT,  October  24,  1872. 

The  ride  to  Neumark  is  so  nice,  and  I  saw 
for  the  first  time  Schonfels  [birthplace  of  Herr 
von  Olnhausen],  which  is  on  the  route.  You  can 
think  how  I  felt  on  seeing  it.  The  two  old  castles 
can  be  seen  far  and  wide;  and,  what  is  more,  I 
was  not  one  bit  disappointed  in  them.  After  we 
got  home  [to  Zwickau]  we  sat  long  in  the  twilight, 
and  talked  of  ghosts  and  old  times,  till  one  began 
to  feel  cold  chills  over  the  back,  as  if  ghosts  of 
frozen  mice  were  walking  around ;  and  the  old  pic 
tures  looked  even  more  hideous  than  by  daylight. 
It  was  proposed  to  go  up  to  the  garrets  and  hunt 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     307 

for  spectres.  Some  one  said  we  must  have  a  lan 
tern,  and  just  as  I  remarked,  "  No  ghosts,  of 
course,  bring  their  own  lanterns,"  the  door  opened 
slowly  and  one  stalked  in.  You  will  not  believe 
how  we  were  all  startled  to  see  this  immensely 
tall,  white  woman  floating  in  with  a  lantern  nearly 
a  yard  high  and  half  as  large  round,  a  very  ghost 
of  a  lantern.  We  all  started  up,  for  we  had  not 
missed  Arthur,  who  had  quietly  stepped  out,  and, 
remembering  these  old  things  stored  away,  had 
improvised  the  whole  scene. 

Monday  morning  at  nine  S.  sent  the  carriage 
to  take  us  to  Schonfels.  It 's  about  an  hour's  ride 
from  Zwickau.  We  had  many  wreaths  for  the 
dead  there,  so  first  of  all  we  went  to  the  Pastor's 
to  get  the  key  to  the  tomb.  Here  it  seemed  like 
some  old  dream;  the  loveliest  little  woman,  so 
young  and  fresh  and  bright,  came  out  of  the 
kitchen  and  said  she  was  the  wife  and  would  call 
her  man.  Soon  he  came  down  from  his  study,  a 
bean  ideal  of  a  German  preacher,  so  intellectual 
and  so  simple  in  manner.  The  house  was  a  pic 
ture  of  neatness  and  comfort.  She  brought  us 
wine  and  cakes,  and  invited  us  to  come  and  dine 
with  them;  but  we  had  our  own  dinner  with  us, 
and  we  wanted  that  day  to  dine  alone  in  the 
castle.  The  Pastor  went  with  us  to  the  church 
yard  and  opened  the  vault,  which  was  hung  with 


308     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

garlands  for  one  of  the  old  Hempels  who  left  a 
sum  of  money  with  which  to  give  the  children  a 
feast  every  year.  So  each  year  the  children  walk 
in  procession,  carrying  wreaths  and  garlands,  the 
vault  is  opened,  and  every  tomb  is  decorated.  This 
is  n't  an  Olnhausen  tomb ;  they  are  all  buried  in 
Wiirttemberg. 

Then  we  went  to  see  the  old  church,  which,  by 
the  way,  was  so  injured  by  the  earthquake  last 
March  that  the  tower  had  to  be  taken  down  and 
the  whole  rebuilt.  It 's  full  of  interesting  old 
monuments  and  slabs,  flags  and  battle  relics. 
After  this  we  started  on  our  pilgrimage,  first,  of 
course,  to  New  Schonfels. 

I  don't  believe  a  pilgrim  to  Jerusalem  or  Mecca 
ever  felt  more  deeply  than  I  did  on  nearing  the 
long-talked-of  home  of  Gustav.  The  owner  knew 
J.,  and  gave  us  permission  to  go  all  over  the  place. 
The  house  is  inhabited  only  at  night,  the  old  man 
and  woman  going  there  to  sleep;  so  we  were  un 
disturbed.  Everything  remains  nearly  as  when 
the  Olnhausens  sold  it.  The  man  has  grown 
poorer  every  day,  so  nothing  has  been  done  to 
improve  it;  the  old  stag  horns  still  hang  in  the 
hall,  —  such  horns  as  one  never  sees  now,  —  and 
stuffed  birds  shot  by  hands  long  dead  are  still 
ranged  around.  The  same  old  papers  on  the  walls 
and  the  immense  wardrobes  of  polished  oak,  some 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     309 

of  them  so  beautifully  carved.  Gustav  seemed  to 
be  by  my  side  all  the  time.  How  often  he  has 
described  it  all  to  me!  The  old  nut-trees  that  he 
loved  so  much  are  all  dead;  but  the  clock-tower 
is  just  as  it  was,  and  the  old  clock  still  rings  out 
the  hours  to  the  village  below.  It  must  have  been 
splendid  in  old  times.  The  immense  hall,  on  en 
tering,  and  the  broad  old  stairway  are  so  fine,  and 
there  is  such  a  view  from  the  windows.  We  wan 
dered  about  the  park  for  a  couple  of  hours,  and 
on  our  return  the  old  lady  had  a  cup  of  coffee, 
and  such  bread  and  butter  for  us  as  I  have  not 
tasted  in  Germany.  Her  husband  is  most  anxious 
to  sell  the  place.  When  we  came  away,  he  brought 
me  down  one  of  the  stuffed  hawks  as  a  remem 
brance  from  the  old  place  (another  trap!). 

Then  we  went  to  the  other  castle,  the  von 
Roemers'.  This  is  much  higher  and  much  older, 
and  remains  just  as  it  was  built.  It  is  round, 
enclosing  a  court  with  very  few  windows  on  the 
outside,  an  old  tower  rising  from  the  centre,  bal 
conies  all  around  from  the  first  story,  and  such 
a  gloomy  aspect  inside, — just  the  tower  and  walls 
with  the  irregular  windows.  The  old  stairs  lead 
ing  to  the  chapel  are  so  neglected,  covered  with 
the  same  stones,  old  bones,  and  clumps  of  grass, 
bits  of  broken  glass,  and  spider-webs  that  have 
been  there  for  hundreds  of  years.  There  is  one 


3 1  o     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

large  hall  where  the  whole  Roemer  family  must 
meet  once  a  year  to  hold  council  over  the  gains 
and  what  shall  be  done  with  them.  The  senior 
of  the  family  has  a  right  to  live  here,  but  hardly 
any  one  in  his  senses  would  do  so.  J.  was  mar 
ried  here,  and,  as  she  is  the  senior's  widow,  has 
a  right  to  live  here  always.  She  tried  it  for  some 
years,  but  finally  gave  up  her  right. 

They  have  lately  dug  up  an  old  member  who 
had  long  disappeared.  He  was  a  watchmaker 
[(?)  manufacturer  of  watches],  and  has  lived 
long  in  England.  He  finally  announced  his  ex 
istence,  and  as  it  is  a  law  in  the  family  that  they 
must  pass  some  time  of  the  year  in  Saxony  or  be 
not  recognized  any  longer,  he  came  and  fitted  up 
a  few  rooms  splendidly,  and  has  been  here  three 
months,  and  goes  now  back  to  Berlin.  We  sent 
up  our  names  and  he  gave  us  permission  to  enter. 
Everybody  has  much  curiosity  about  him,  he  lives 
so  entirely  alone;  so  we  were  most  anxious  to  see 
the  old  lion  and  his  den.  He  came  forward  very 
politely,  and  we  tried  our  best  to  make  him  hear. 
He  put  his  hand  up  and  said,  "  I  'm  a  little  deaf." 
No  adder  was  ever  deafer.  I  bawled  my  best  and, 
though  he  spoke  English,  which  I  tried  at  last,  he 
only  stared  the  harder  at  me  and  said  "What?" 
in  such  an  unearthly  tone  it  took  my  wits  all  away. 
So  I  left  him  to  J.,  who  managed  to  bring  it  into 
his  head  what  she  wanted. 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     3 1 1 

He  got  the  key,  finally,  and  was  a  fit  warder 
for  such  an  old  rumple  of  a  castle,  —  a  little,  thin, 
dirty,  brown  old  man  with  a  very  brown  wig  and 
white  bristly  hair  cropping  out,  and  such  a  wheez 
ing  and  shaky  tone;  and  such  a  suspicious  look 
as  he  cast  upon  us  every  now  and  then,  —  on  me 
particularly,  as  I  was  n't  a  Roemer  and  could  n't 
make  him  hear.  I  wanted  to  go  into  the  cellars, 
which  are  very  deep  and  large,  but  Sister  has  not 
the  taste  for  such  things,  and  nobody  in  the  castle 
has  ever  been  there;  so  I  was  obliged  to  come 
away  unsatisfied.  All  around  the  wall  is  the  old 
moat,  of  course  long  empty.  Indeed  I  can't  see 
where  they  ever  found  water  to  fill  it.  Outside  is 
such  a  delightful  walk  on  the  banks  looking  out 
far  as  one  can  see,  the  other  castle,  the  church, 
and  the  village  all  beneath  you,  and  on  hills  away 
off  other  old  castles.  It  was  a  splendid  view,  and 
enough  in  itself  to  pay  for  the  clamber  up  the 
hills;  but  everything  is  so  neglected  and  dirty, 
-even  the  village  looks  more  like  a  Bohemian 
than  a  German  one.  By  the  time  we  came  down 
the  hill  I  felt  a  thousand  years  old,  and  the  day 
seemed  endless.  As  we  went  along,  the  people 
came  out  from  every  house  and  greeted  the 
gnddige  Frau. 

A.  took  us  to  Neumark,  much  to  my  chagrin, 
where  we  took  tea  with  the  family  and  then  rode 


3 1 2     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

late  into  town,  bewildered,  tired,  and  actually  be 
witched,  so  that  all  night  I  could  not  tell  if  I 
were  waking  or  sleeping.  Tuesday  S.  sent  the 
carriage  to  take  us  to  breakfast,  and  then  she, 
the  sisters,  and  I  took  a  most  delightful  walk  to 
the  world-famous  swan  lake.  Perhaps  you  've  all 
read  the  fairy  story  of  the  swan  Knight ; l  here  is 
the  very  place  where  it  all  happened.  I  am  going 
to  translate  and  send  it  to  you  if  you  have  n't. 
It 's  so  pretty,  and  is  about  as  long  as  Walden 
Pond  [Thoreau's  "Walden"].  Many  swans  are 
there,  and  gay  little  boats,  and  a  big  restaurant, 
and  pretty  paths  all  about;  it  is  the  pride  and 
glory  of  Zwickau. 

THARANT,  December  8,  1872. 

I  write  with  ashes  of  humility  on  my  head  to 
think  of  my  being  hateful  so  long,  and  I  have 
so  many  things  to  write  about  too.  I  never  ex 
pected,  after  the  week  I  spent  in  Dresden  (which 
was  the  golden  wedding2  one),  that  I  should  wait 
so  long  to  tell  about  it.  The  Thursday  of  that 
week  was  the  christening  of  A.'s  child,  to  which, 
of  course,  we  were  invited,  —  M.  to  stand  god 
mother  and  I  to  help  eat.  There  were  six  in  the 
christening  party.  M.'s  partner  was  a  jolly  man, 

1  The  story  of  Lohengrin  ?  The  arms  of  Zwickau  are  quartered 
with  swans  and  castles,  and  the  name  of  the  city  is  (erroneously) 
said  to  be  derived  from  cygnus, 

?  Of  the  King  and  Queen  of  Saxony. 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     3 1  3 

Herr  von  W.,  who  did  not  know  how  to  hold  the 
baby,  and  was  withal  so  ashamed  to  do  it;  for, 
you  see,  everybody  who  stands  up  has  to  take  the 
infant  by  turns. 

The  table  around  which  they  stood  was  trimmed 
lovelily  with  flowers,  and  there  stood  upon  it  a  fine 
bouquet  and  the  water.  The  minister,  in  robes, 
spoke  for  more  than  half  an  hour,  giving  a  full 
history  of  baptism  and  its  consequences,  —  which 
was  drier  than  dust,  —  besides  a  prayer  or  two. 
Then  the  maid  held  the  baby  while  the  six  people 
held  a  lace  veil  over  it,  upon  which  the  Pastor 
sprinkled  water  as  he  named  it.  Then  he  took  the 
child,  crossed  and  blessed  it,  and  the  thing  was 
done. 

They  had  a  splendid  supper  and  nice  wine,  and, 
last  of  all,  the  ice  with  a  stork  upon  it.  The  belief 
is  that  whoever  makes  the  stork  fall  will  have  the 
next  baby.  It  fell  to  a  young  and  very  diffident 
doctor,  who  did  not  get  over  blushing  all  the 
evening.  The  young  people  danced  and  had  a 
real  gay  time  till  two  o'clock.  I  was  sleepy 
enough  to  want  to  go  home  then,  but  the  others 
stayed  later  and  had  another  supper. 

Next  morning  we  went  to  see  the  decorations, 
which,  on  the  whole,  were  tasteless  enough,  only 
that  so  many  flags  flying  are  always  beautiful. 
The  streets  were  crowded,  with  fine  equipages 


3 1 4     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

rolling  about.  The  people  from  out  of  Dresden 
were  having  audiences  and  bringing  in  the  pres 
ents,  so  we  saw  much  fine  dressing;  and  fleas  and 
noise  were  abundant.  We  were  tired  enough  by 
two  o'clock,  and  glad  to  get  home.  We  had  a 
good  dinner  and  rest  till  evening,  when  we  took 
another  turn  to  see  the  illumination.  This,  after 
all,  was  not  much,  for  the  real  sight  was  reserved 
till  the  emperor  should  come. 

Every  window  had  busts  of  the  queen  and  king ; 
in  one  of  them  the  wreaths  had  got  pushed  out  of 
place,  and  it  had  such  a  funny  effect.  This  old 
lady  with  her  nightcap  on  (for  it  looked  just  so, 
though  I  suppose  it  really  was  of  superb  lace), 
with  one  eye  covered,  looked  uncommonly  drunk, 
and  he  looked  so  rowdy  I  laughed  and  remarked 
upon  it.  This  frightened  L.  so.  "  For  God's 
sake,  don't;  if  the  police  hear  you,  it  will  bring 
trouble;  "  whereat  I  shut  up,  having  a  holy  horror 
of  policemen. 

The  next  morning  we  stayed  at  home,  reserv 
ing  our  strength  for  after  dinner,  when  we  were 
to  go  to  see  the  Emperor  arrive.  We  got  splendid 
places  despite  the  immense  crowd.  We  had  many 
invitations  to  go  to  houses  of  our  friends,  but  I 
preferred  being  on  the  street,  so  we  went  over  to 
the  Neu  Stadt,  on  the  square.  The  first  thing  I  did 
was  to  make  friends  with  a  policeman,  who  gave 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     3 1 5 

us  a  front  place  and  kept  every  one  from  coming 
before  us.  There  were  some  officers  near  who  knew 
everybody  and  named  them  to  us  as  they  came 
along.  We  were  so  close,  as  they  all  passed  in 
open  carriages,  that  we  could  have  shaken  hands, 
and  we  got  special  bows ;  but  I  cared  most  to  see 
our  Saxon  king,  who  is  a  noble  old  man,  so  good 
and  wise.  He  has  the  saddest,  sweetest  expres 
sion.  You  know  he  is  very  learned  in  all  sciences 
and  is  still  a  great  student. 

Sunday  we  were  early  in  the  street.  This  was 
the  wedding  day,  and  oh,  the  crowds!  You  see 
the  streets  are  so  narrow  all  about  the  Schloss 
that  it  seems  much  larger  (the  crowd,  I  mean)  ; 
and  such  a  hateful  crowd,  too,  knocking  and  push 
ing.  I  was  glad  to  find  a  corner  where  I  could 
see  a  little.  At  last  I  told  them  I  should  go  into 
the  church.  They  all  said  it  was  impossible;  but 
who  ever  knew  a  Yankee  who  did  n't  do  the  im 
possible?  So  I  screwed  round  to  the  back  of  the 
church,  where  the  men  go  in,  and  pushed  slowly 
along  through  the  crowd  till  I  got  a  good  sight 
of  the  king  and  queen.  Just  then  it  began  to  rain, 
the  people  rushed  in,  and  with  a  great  surge  I 
was  pushed  forward,  unable  even  to  move  my  feet, 
directly  to  the  line  held  by  the  soldiers  right  in 
front  of  the  whole  party.  Here  I  could  see  every 
one  of  them  so  nicely, — the  king  and  queen  kneel- 


3 1 6     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

ing  together  in  one  window,  the  empress  alone  in 
another,  and  all  the  other  dignitaries.  A  group  of 
officers  stood  near,  and  one  of  them  told  me  who 
they  all  were.  Was  n't  this  my  usual  extra  luck  ? 
But,  oh,  that  music!  If  they  have  such  music  in 
heaven,  one  ought  to  want  to  go  straight  there. 
One  would  think  the  firing  of  the  cannons  and 
ringing  of  the  bells  would  spoil  it  all,  but  it  only 
made  it  all  the  more  wonderful.  I  always  shall 
rejoice  that  I  was  permitted  to  hear  it.  The  king 
and  queen  both  looked  so  sorrowful.  After  an 
hour  they  went  away ;  but  the  crowd  did  n't,  as 
High  Mass  was  celebrated;  and  I  was  glad  I  had 
to  stay,  for  the  whole  music  was  so  splendid. 

[Immediately  after  the  golden  wedding  followed 
a  short  visit  to  Berlin.] 

Monday  morning  we  went  to  more  sight-seeing, 
and  after  dinner  I  called  on  Dr.  R.,  who  was  not 
at  home,  to  my  disappointment.  From  there  I 
went  over  to  the  hospital  where  my  men  were  left 
when  I  came  back  to  Berlin.  At  first,  though  I 
told  them  the  date  and  some  of  the  names,  they 
were  quite  indifferent,  and  said  they  doubted  if 
they  could  find  them,  it  was  so  far  back.  Old 
lazy  things!  Besides,  it  was  after  visiting  hours. 
Thereupon  a  young  man  who  was  sitting  there 
rose  and  said :  "  I  know  the  names,  Herr  In 
spector;  this  generous  lady  nursed  us  all  in  that 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse      3 1 7 

terrible  time  in  Vendome.  I  was  one  of  them."  I 
was  so  pleased  and  surprised,  and,  as  he  stood 
on  two  legs  and  was  so  tall  and  fine  looking,  of 
course  could  not  recognize  him;  but  he  told  me 
(with  some  look  of  sorrow  that  I  had  forgotten 
him)  that  he  was  one  of  my  amputated  men,  and 
had  come  back  that  same  day  to  have  his  wooden 
leg  better  fitted.  Of  course  I  had  only  seen  him 
bolstered  up  in  bed,  very  pale  and  sick.  Then 
everybody  flew  round  most  politely,  and  an  older 
officer,  the  head  of  the  hospital,  came  out  and 
took  my  hand,  thanking  me  for  what  I  had  done. 
Very  soon  I  had  the  list  of  every  man  made  out. 
Only  one  was  dead,  —  the  one  wounded  in  the 
thigh;  the  others  had  long  been  at  home.  The 
officer  told  me  they  had  often  enough  spoken  of 
me,  and  said  some  other  things  very  pleasant  to 
hear.  My  Pole,  too,  said  good-bye  with  tears  in 
his  eyes,  so  I  had  a  very  comfortable  ride  home. 

MENTONE,  FRANCE,  February  7,  1873. 
About  four  we  left  [Milan]  for  Genoa.  You 
cannot  conceive  of  anything  more  forlorn  than  the 
route, — just  like  our  marshes,  only  the  ditches  are 
planted  with  willows.  It  began  to  rain,  too,  and  a 
German  gentleman  gave  me  just  at  dark  the  de 
lightful  information  that  about  nine  we  would  come 
to  a  place  where  a  tunnel  was  broken  through, 


3 1 8     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

and  where  we  must  all  get  out  and  take  ourselves 
for  a  two  hours'  ride  over  the  mountains.  I  wish 
I  could  describe  this  getting  out  in  a  pouring 
rain,  every  step  over  one's  boots  in  mud,  men  and 
women  screaming  in  every  tongue,  pulling  you  and 
knocking  you,  cursing  every  moment,  barely  escap 
ing  being  run  over  by  such  miserable  beasts,  too, 
and  finally  being  thrust  into  an  omnibus  with  five 
others  in  pitch  darkness  with  a  pair  of  horses  that 
had  evidently  been  trained  to  go  on  only  two  legs 
at  once,  the  snapping  of  whips  and  shouting  of 
drivers  and  jolting  of  the  carriage  into  holes  that 
seemed  deep  enough  to  swallow  us,  lighted  up 
now  and  then  by  the  glare  of  a  torch  or  a  great 
linen  lantern  (really  coarse  linen  stretched  over 
an  iron  frame  with  a  candle  inside),  soldiers  stag 
gering  along,  for  we  had  a  regiment  with  us  and 
they  must  all  walk  the  whole  route.  Oh,  dear!  I 
know  you  can't  conceive  of  it  all,  and  I  'm  sure  I 
can't  tell  it.  They  say  it  is  a  splendid  route  by 
day,  the  view  from  the  hills  is  so  fine;  but  at 
night  I  would  rather  refuse  to  try  it  twice.  Some 
of  the  carriages  came  to  grief,  but  ours  stood  the 
test,  and  finally  there  was  another  struggle  and 
howling  till  we  were  again  seated  in  the  cars, 
and  were  glad  some  time  in  the  night  to  arrive 
at  Genoa,  so  "  dead  beat "  that  I  could  have  slept 
anywhere. 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     3 1 9 

As  I  left  next  morning  (Friday)  at  eight,  I 
had  no  chance  to  see  the  town  at  all,  except  the 
beautiful  sea;  and  how  welcome  it  was  to  me 
after  hungering  and  thirsting  so  long  for  a  sight 
of  it.  Nobody  seemed  to  have  any  very  definite 
ideas  of  the  route;  some  said  it  was  just  impas 
sable,  some  said  we  could  not  come  through  to 
Nice  in  two  days ;  but  I  determined  to  try.  There 
have  been  bad  storms,  and  the  road  has  been  in 
jured  much.  Of  course,  like  all  Italian  roads,  it 's 
about  half  built ;  but  it  was  not  so  very  bad.  Two 
or  three  times  we  had  to  get  out  and  walk  over 
the  worst  places,  and  we  poked  along  slowly;  but 
we  arrived  at  Nice  at  ten,  having  had  the  pleas 
ure  of  having  our  trunks  searched  at  the  frontier 
town. 

I  drove  to  the  Hotel  Luxembourg,  where  I  found 
Mrs.  C.  expecting  and  waiting  for  me.  I  was  glad 
to  have  the  first  interview  over  before  I  went  to 
bed;  for  I  dreaded  it,  not  knowing  what  sort  of 
a  "  critter  "  I  should  find  her  to  be.  To  my  de 
light  she  was  nice  and  cordial,  and  seemed  so  glad 
to  see  me  that  I  was  entirely  contented. 

ROME,  March  23,  1873. 

I  never  saw  such  solemn  people  as  in  Rome. 
No  New  England  town  can  beat  it,  for  there  at 
least  you  see  contentment;  but  here  extreme  dis- 


320     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

content,  only  the  beggars  looking  bright  when  they 
have  finally,  with  much  screaming  and  running 
after,  succeeded  in  forcing  a  coin  from  you.  But 
you  don't  get  rid  of  them  as  you  hoped  even  then ; 
for  they  still  run  and  keep  up  the  din,  hoping  to 
fool  you  twice.  A  Miss  J.  that  I  know  here  is 
very  funny ;  she  said  after  a  while  she  would  give 
only  to  the  gray-haired  ones;  and  then,  she  be 
lieved,  every  beggar  in  Rome  put  on  a  gray  wig. 
Then  she  would  give  only  to  the  babies ;  and  every 
man,  woman,  and  child  appeared  with  one.  A. 
says  she  will  give  only  to  the  blind,  but  it  seems 
as  if  every  one  was  blind ;  and  even  her  good  heart 
was  shaken  when  she  had  no  more  coppers,  and 
the  blind  man,  opening  his  eyes,  began  to  curse  her. 

While  in  Italy,  Mrs.  von  Olnhausen  received 
the  Iron  Cross.1  This,  like  the  Victorian  Cross,  is 
given  for  high  bravery  or  special  acts  of  noble 
service,  and  has  been  but  sparingly  presented.  It 
is  believed  that  Miss  Clara  Barton  is  the  only 
other  American  woman  who  has  received  it.  Ac 
companying  the  Cross  was  the  following  letter :  — 

IMPERIAL  PRUSSIAN  EMBASSY. 

DRESDEN,  February  15,  1873. 

Since  His  Imperial  and  Royal  Majesty  has  deigned 
to  confer  by  means  of  a  supreme  order  of  the  sixth 

1  The  Order  of  the  Iron  Cross  was  established  by  Frederick 
William  of  Prussia  in  1813.  It  was  revived  by  King  William,  Jan 
uary  19,  1870. 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     321 

of  January  of  this  year  upon  your  ladyship  the  Cross 
of  Service  for  women  and  maidens,  I  have  the  honor, 
in  obedience  to  an  order  of  the  Imperial  Chancellor, 
to  send  to  you  hereby  the  Insignia  in  question  and 
also  a  document  for  the  Constitution  of  the  Order, 
with  the  most  obedient  request  to  let  the  latter  be 
returned  to  me  after  the  separate  rubrics  of  the  same 
have  been  filled  out. 

May  your  ladyship  receive  the  assurance  of  my 
sincere  respect. 

The  Royal  Prussian  Charge  d'Affaires, 

(  Signature. ) 

To  Her  Ladyship 

The  widow  MRS.  VON  OLNHAUSEN,  per  Tharand. 

Later  she  received  a  war-medal  (of  silver)  for 
non-combatants,  together  with  a  certificate  for  her 
services;  and  earlier  she  seems  to  have  been  pre 
sented  with  a  medal  of  a  more  general  character. 
After  her  return  to  America,  a  decoration  still 
more  rarely  given,  described  as  a  Cross  of  Merit, 
was  forwarded  to  her,  but  never  reached  her.  At 
the  time  of  Prince  Henry's  visit  this  was  called 
to  his  attention  by  some  friend  of  hers;  and  it 
was  promised  that  another  cross  would  be  sent 
to  her.  Her  death  so  soon  followed  that  the 
promise,  even  had  it  been  remembered,  could  not 
have  been  redeemed. 

THARANT,  May,  1873. 

I  must  tell  you  about  the  wedding.  Have  you 
ever  heard  of  Polterabend?  The  night  before 

21 


322     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

the  wedding  everybody  who  will  give  presents  is 
expected  to  come  and  personate  some  character, 
or  deliver  an  original  poem,  or  do  something  to 
make  fun  for  the  others  when  he  presents  his  gift. 
Generally,  too,  they  dance  till  morning.  All  day 
long  the  relatives  from  a  distance  were  arriving, 
—  all  sorts  of  big  folks,  with  much  gold  lace  and 
decorations  on  the  men,  and  fine  old  lace  and 
diamonds  on  the  women.  It  was  a  hateful  thing 
to  me  to  have  to  be  introduced  to  such  a  crowd. 
We  went  at  six,  still  bright  light  and  everybody 
gowned  stunningly.  Nobody  else  had  the  Iron 
Cross,  so  I  felt  more  dressed  than  they. 

For  an  hour  or  two  it  was  the  hardest  work  I 
ever  did  to  get  any  one  to  talk;  but  after  the  tea 
(delightfully  flavored  with  vanilla!)  came  in,  we 
began  to  get  more  cheerful.  In  fact  I  guess  they 
were  all  hungry  and  cold,  for  it  had  rained  all 
day.  Then  the  chairs  were  arranged  as  for  tab 
leaux,  and  the  presents  were  brought  in.  Some 
of  the  girls  came  in  peasant  costumes  of  their 
district,  and  had  got  some  clever  person  to  write 
verses,  which  were  delivered  in  a  half-scared, 
stumbling  way,  but  which  still  sounded  very  good. 
One  came  as  a  flower-girl,  brought  a  foot-stove 
covered  with  flowers,  and  spoke  some  very  neat 
verses  particularly  well.  Then  came  two  for 
esters,  classmates  of  Roemer,  with  big  sacks  on 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     323 

their  backs  and  axes  in  hand.  They  had  a  long 
address,  which  was  pinned  up  on  the  wall  just 
outside  the  door,  and  first  one  and  then  the  other 
took  up  the  discourse  as  one  or  the  other  lost  his 
place.  It  was  very  funny,  each  one  striving  to 
get  near  the  writing  and  never  once  looking  at 
the  bridal  pair.  They  are  both  full  of  wit,  grace 
ful,  and  handsome.  One  had  in  his  sack  a 
splendid  card-press,  with  counters  and  all  sorts 
of  things  elegantly  carved  from  wood,  with  the 
Roemer  crest  above  all ;  the  other  had  a  beer- jug 
and  glasses  of  white  and  green  Bohemian  crystal, 
and  a  waiter  for  them  of  carved  wood  with  the 
arms  at  either  side.  One  young  forester  came  as 
a  fox,  and  made  such  a  nice,  foxy  speech.  He 
ambled  in  and  out  so  queerly,  and  pulled  the 
string  of  his  mouth  with  his  paw  when  he  talked, 
and  insisted  upon  shaking  hands  at  parting.  His 
present  was  a  dozen  silver-topped  corks,  repre 
senting  all  sorts  of  animals  and  birds,  on  a  silver 
stand,  with  a  corkscrew  of  silver. 

At  nine  we  had  supper,  and  then  every  one 
seemed  contented  and  glad.  Roast  veal,  tongue, 
ham,  salad,  ice,  and  various  half-sweet  Dutch 
things  that  I  don't  usually  gorge  myself  on,  and 
a  big  bowl  of  punch  which  made  everybody  very 
merry.  I  must  not  forget  one  of  the  old  Polter- 
abend  customs.  All  the  outside  friends  come  and 


324     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

dash  against  the  door  all  sorts  of  crockery;  such 
a  smashing  as  one  hears  all  the  time!  The  more 
beloved  one  is,  the  more  is  smashed.  Everybody 
saves  up  his  old  broken  ware  for  such  occasions. 
We  could  hardly  get  out  when  we  would  go 
home. 

We  left  in  a  pouring  rain,  and  woke  up  in  the 
morning  to  find  it  still  pouring.  It  was  too  bad, 
for  the  church  stands  so  high  and  has  no  road  to 
it.  The  hour  was  to  be  twelve,  and  we  were  all 
to  walk  in  procession  the  whole  way  from  the 
house  with  bare  heads.  The  bridal  veil  did  not 
come;  it  was  promised  the  night  before,  but,  of 
course,  failed;  so  they  waited  and  waited.  The 
bells  began  to  ring,  but  the  Pastor  was  notified 
that  he  must  wait  awhile.  At  last  a  woman  with 
a  dog-cart  came  flying  along  with  the  veil,  and 
the  toilet  was  made.  Then  the  bridegroom  was 
not  ready.  In  the  mean  time  came  messages  from 
the  bell-ringers  saying  they  were  worn  out,  as  was 
the  parson  too.  At  the  foot  of  the  hill  it  rained 
like  sixty,  and  we  had  to  rush  into  the  school  for 
shelter,  much  to  the  disturbance  of  the  scholars. 
There  we  had  an  eternity  to  wait,  till  finally  we 
began  the  ascent  between  the  drops.  The  little 
girls  were  to  strew  flowers,  but  they  quite  forgot 
to  do  it,  they  were  so  taken  up  with  their  fine 
dresses. 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     325 

The  church  was  crowded  and  as  cold  as  a  cellar, 
and  everybody  had  a  red  nose  and  wet  feet.  The 
parson  discoursed  a  full  hour,  mostly  upon  the 
greatness  of  the  old  Roemer  house  and  upon  its 
honors;  and  was  too  stupid  for  anything.  Then 
the  same  rain  to  go  back  in  as  far  as  where  we 
could  take  the  carriages.  The  dinner  was  at  the 
hotel  at  the  end  of  the  town.  Over  fifty  guests 
were  at  table,  and  there  was  a  constant  ringing 
of  glasses  and  wandering  about  drinking  toasts. 
So  it  was  rather  a  confused  time,  and  some  of 
the  dresses  were  quite  ruined.  After  the  hearty 
part  of  the  dinner  was  over,  one  of  the  bridesmen 
and  maids  (as  the  custom  is  here)  went  up  to 
the  bride,  took  off  the  veil  and  wreath,  and  put 
on  a  jaunty  cap,  making  a  very  nice  speech  that 
"  she  is  no  longer  young  Fran,  but  wife  become," 
and  wishing  all  sorts  of  good  and  noble  wishes. 

After  dessert  the  happy  pair  were  to  go  to 
their  temporary  home,  one  of  their  vineyards, 
where  they  are  to  pass  two  weeks.  They  found 
their  coachman  was  in  a  drunken  sleep,  and  it 
took  long  to  arouse  him ;  so  they  were  an  hour 
late,  and  after  the  first  adieus,  came  back  and 
took  ices  and  coffee.  Then  there  came  a  thunder 
storm  ;  but  finally  they  started,  and  then  the  rest 
danced  out  the  bride's  wreath  and  the  groom's 
bouquet  to  see  who  would  be  the  next  bride  and 


326     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

groom.  After  that,  somebody  had  the  temerity 
to  propose  a  dance;  so  the  Pastor  left  and  the 
mamma  and  the  sisters  retired  to  the  next  room, 
and  the  others  danced  till  eleven,  when  we  were 
all  glad  to  go  home. 

THARANT,  June  6,  1873. 

I  forgot;  I  have  a  pleasant  piece  of  news  for 
you.  Sorge  [a  brother-in-law]  sent  especially  for 
me  to  come  in,  and  when  I  came,  appeared  with  all 
his  orders  on  and  presented  me  with  one  that  he 
had  been  commanded  to  give  me,  together  with  a 
certificate  of  my  services  in  the  war.1  I  was  so 
surprised  and  delighted,  too;  so  now  you  see  I 
have  two  from  the  good  old  emperor,  and,  if  I 
don't  love  him  forever,  whom  can  I  love?  I  have 
my  photograph  taken  with  them  both,  and  so  soon 
as  they  are  done  shall  send  you  one.  I  know  it 's 

1  BERLIN,  June  14,  1873. 

It  gives  the  undersigned  Department  great  pleasure  to  be  able  to 
send  to  Mrs.  Mary  Olnhausen  of  Lexington,  North  America,  the 
war  medal  for  1870-71  for  non-combatants  and  also  the  certificate 
for  the  great  service  which  she  has  rendered  the  wounded ;  which 
[medal  and  certificate]  were  granted  to  her  by  the  supreme  cabinet 
order  of  December  19  of  last  year. 

Your  most  honorable  body  is  most  obediently  requested  to  pre 
pare  the  respective  Insignia  for  the  lady  in  question  according  to 
agreement. 
War  Department — Military  Medical  Department. 

(Signature.)  (Signature.) 

To  the  Royal  High  Commissioner  of  Buildings, 

Honorable  Mr.  SORGE,  Dresden. 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     327 

the  stupidest  vanity,  but  everybody  here  insisted 
so  that  I  did  it. 

THARANT,  June  8,  1873. 

Your  letter  of  the  i8th  of  May  came  yesterday 
in  the  midst  of  very  dirty  work ;  and  I  was  so  glad 
both  for  the  letter  and  a  chance  to  rest  a  little,  for 
M.  and  I  were  grubbing  in  the  cellars.  We  are, 
of  course,  very  busy  now  preparing  for  the  auc 
tion,  which  comes  to-morrow  week,  and  such  a 
pile  of  useless  old  things  as  were  brought  to  light 
could  only  be  found  in  a  German  house.  I  see 
more  than  ever  how  much  sentiment  is  wasted  in 
this  world.  Both  Sister  and  her  M.  would  never 
bring  themselves  to  destroy  or  even  part  with  any 
thing  that  had  ever  had  any  sentiment  for  them 
or  anybody  dear  to  them;  and  see  now  a  most 
unsentimental  American  comes  and,  without  one 
bit  of  heart  in  the  matter,  ruthlessly  tears,  burns, 
and  destroys  the  ganze  thing.  M.  looks  on  as  if 
it  were  a  church  sacrilege;  she  won't  bring  her 
self  to  help  in  the  deed,  but  silently  acquiesces. 

We  were  all  invited  to  a  coffee-party,  and  as 
they  would  not  go  without  me,  I  had  to  go 
against  my  will.  If  I  were  a  good  mimic,  I  could 
make  you  laugh  over  it.  I  never  saw  so  many 
comical  people  together.  Two  sisters,  Fraiilein 

von  ,  somebody  ought  to  picture  them !     In 

the  first  place  two  such  original  styles  of  homeli- 


328     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

ness  exist  nicht.  One  is  the  energetic  sort,  head 
very  far  back  set;  talks  housekeeping  and  maids 
unendlessly;  eyes  so  wide  open  you  don't  catch 
her  napping;  masterful  of  everybody,  her  maid 
don't  crib  much  from  her;  talks  herself  red  in 
the  face  over  the  slightest  thing,  and  sees-out  like 
a  mad  dog  if  she  is  a  little  opposed;  knows  the 
whole  gossip  of  every  house  in  town,  with  the 
deepest  sympathy  inquires  over  one's  most  tender 
affairs,  and  gives  advice  on  all  occasions.  The 
other  has  alarmingly  red  cheeks,  but  otherwise 
pale;  holds  her  head  forward,  a  bischen  sunken 
in  such  a  deprecatory  manner,  and  always  acqui 
esces,  —  jah,  jah,  going  on  all  the  time  in  a  sort  of 
monotone  that  is  a  little  wearing.  Na!  you  must 
see  that.  Evidently  they  like  beaux,  and  they  are 
always  adjusting  something. 

The  lady  of  the  house,  too,  is  a  character.  She 
is  constantly  forgetting  names,  and  gets  hope 
lessly  confused ;  and  her  two  daughters  are  always 
trying  to  put  her  right,  which,  of  course,  always 
goes  wrong.  Those  coffees  are,  anyway,  not  the 
most  agreeable  things;  and  then  one  is  expected 
to  eat  such  a  succession  of  fatty  sweets  that  one 
must  have  dyspepsia  for  a  week  afterwards.  I 
know  I  was  just  glad  when  seven  o'clock  came 
and  we  could  go  home. 

The  holidays  lasted  three  days;    on  the  third, 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     329 

one  of  those  sisters  (the  submissive  one)  came 
out  from  Dresden  in  the  evening  train  with  her 
maid;  when  in  the  depot  a  drunken  student  seized 
her,  and  another  her  maid,  and  compelled  them  to 
dance.  Imagine  the  scene, — this  dignified  gentle 
woman,  protesting  all  the  while,  being  wheeled 
around  in  such  an  undignified  manner,  and  the 
whole  crowd  looking  on  and  enjoying  it. 

THARANT,  July  i6>  1873. 

The  1 4th  I  went  in  to  Thode's  [her  banker], 
and  he  telegraphed  a  second  time  for  the  "  Mara 
thon,"  3  ist;  and  this  morning  I  have  the  answer 
that  my  berth  is  engaged;  so  now  it's  about  cer 
tain  I  shall  sail  in  that.  I  shall  allow  about  a  week 
for  the  journey  to  Liverpool,  as  I  want  to  stop  a 
day  in  Hamburg,  and,  if  possible,  see  a  little  of 
at  least  one  city  in  England.  London  is  out  of 
the  question.  I  shall  take  the  shortest  and  cheap 
est  route ;  and,  anyway,  now  I  am  certain  of  going 
home,  I  shall  not  enjoy  much  that  I  see.  It  is  a 
very  exciting  time  with  me  now.  The  parting 
from  my  friends  here  is  very  hard,  and  yet  the 
desire  to  see  you  all  quite  deadens  the  pain. 


CHAPTER    XI 

THE  "  wonderful  aunt  from  America " 
might  have  remained  many  years  on 
the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic  and  have 
found  an  unflagging  welcome  in  the  households  of 
her  late  husband's  kin.  As  her  later  letters  make 
clear,  however,  she  was  eager  to  get  home;  not 
simply  because  of  a  natural  wish  to  see  her  own 
people,  but  also  and  chiefly  because  long-continued 
idleness  had  become  irksome  to  her.  Her  first 
thought,  therefore,  after  recovering  from  the  ex 
citement  of  the  home-coming,  was  to  find  some 
position  where  she  might  be  usefully  employed 
and  might  at  the  same  time  earn  her  own  living. 
Independence,  both  in  purse  and  in  dwelling-place, 
was  essential  to  her  happiness.  At  any  time  during 
the  remaining  thirty  years  of  her  life,  shelter  and 
leisure  in  the  homes  of  her  many  relatives  would 
gladly  have  been  hers;  but  however  welcome  she 
might  be,  such  a  life  was  practically  impossible 
to  her.  She  could  scarcely  exist  in  an  ordinary 
household.  She  must  have  her  own  gods  about 
her,  must  keep  her  own  house  —  however  tiny  — 
in  her  own  Bohemian  way.  Possessing  hosts  of 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     331 

friends,  she  must  be  able  to  have  them  always 
about  her  and  to  entertain  them  with  "  picnics  " 
of  her  own  devising.  She  must  be  free  to  go 
about  visiting,  to  the  theatre,  upon  expeditions  of 
all  kinds  without  question  except  of  her  own  good 
sense,  and  without  responsibility  except  to  her  own 
high  breeding.  Above  all,  she  hated  the  thought 
of  dependence  upon  others  for  her  daily  bread. 
So  to  the  very  end  of  her  long  life  she  earned  that 
bread  herself ; J  and  even  after  her  eightieth  year, 
when  the  fact  of  her  living  by  herself  was  a  source 
of  great  anxiety  to  her  friends,  she  could  not  be 
persuaded  to  give  up  the  independence  which,  sur 
rounded  by  her  "  traps,"  she  so  much  enjoyed  in 
her  hospitable  quarters  in  the  Grundmann  Studios. 
About  the  time  of  her  return  from  Europe,  a 
Training  School  for  Nurses,  affiliated  with  the 
Massachusetts  General  Hospital,2  in  Boston,  was 
established,  and  to  Mrs.  von  Olnhausen  was  offered 

1  In  1888,  through  the  exertions  of  Hon.  E.  D.  Hayden,  M.  C. 
from  Massachusetts,  she  was  given,  by  vote  of  the  Congress,  a 
pension  of  twelve  dollars  a  month. 

2  From  the   Seventeenth  Annual   Report  of  Trustees  of  the 
Massachusetts  General  Hospital  (1883),  p.  6:   "This  Institution 
began  in  1873  witn  s^x  pupils,  who  were  allowed  to  take  charge  of 
two  wards  as  an  experiment.     It  increased  steadily  till  1877,  when 
the  nursing  of  the  whole  Hospital  was  placed  in  its  charge.     At 
the  present  time  (1883)  the  Training  School  consists  of  forty-two 
pupils,  twelve  head  nurses,  a  night  Superintendent,  and  the  Superin 
tendent  of  the  whole  school,  —  all  these  being  under  the  supervision 
of  a  Board  of  Directors." 


3  3  2     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

the  position  of  superintendent.  The  writer  saw 
much  of  her  at  that  time,  and  although  he  was 
but  a  lad,  remembers  well  her  cheeriness  and 
breeziness,  her  kind  word  to  every  patient,  her 
untiring  efforts  to  keep  them  buoyed  up  and  en 
tertained.  That  scrupulous  attention  to  cleanliness, 
too,  and  that  wonderful  skill  in  the  treatment  of 
wounds  which  had  distinguished  her  army  service, 
were  again  conspicuous.  But,  boy  as  he  was,  he 
could  see  that  his  aunt  had  not  the  qualifications 
essential  for  the  post  which,  with  unflagging  zeal, 
she  was  trying  so  enthusiastically  to  fill.  She  was 
not  systematic,  and  a  hospital  must  be  run  as 
if  by  clockwork.  She  was  not  autocratic,  and 
women  seeking  to  be  trained  as  nurses  need  the 
firm  and  steady  hand  of  high  authority.  She  was 
absolutely  blunt  and  always  ready  to  speak  her 
mind,  and  her  experimental  position  called  for 
the  utmost  tact  and  discretion.  She  was  by  na 
ture  a  person  of  violent  likes  and  dislikes,  and 
her  situation  forbade  the  slightest  exhibition  of 
favoritism.  Moreover,  wide  and  wonderful  as 
her  experience  had  been,  it  had  not  given  her  a 
thorough  training  in  the  principles  of  nursing,  and 
her  mind  had  not  been  steadied  and  disciplined  by 
that  higher  education  which,  had  she  been  born 
fifty  years  later,  she  undoubtedly  would  eagerly 
have  sought.  It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  there- 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     333 

fore,  that  she  did  not  succeed  in  a  position  demand 
ing  qualities  which  by  nature  and  by  education 
were  not  hers.  After  a  year  or  two  at  the  Train 
ing  School  it  became  inevitable  that  she  should 
resign. 

Her  next  position,  taken  only  temporarily,  was 
as  matron  of  a  small  home  for  intemperate  women 
in  New  York  City.  Thence  she  went  to  Staten 
Island  as  superintendent  of  a  maternity  asylum 
which  had  been  established,  by  private  charity,  in 
a  beautiful  spot  on  the  hills  of  the  interior.  Two 
large  estates,  each  with  extensive  grounds,  had 
been  thrown  into  one ;  in  the  two  mansion  houses 
and  in  a  number  of  cottages  were  sheltered  sev 
eral  hundred  women  and  their  children;  and  the 
work  there  carried  on  of  rescue,  of  reform,  of  pro 
vision  for  the  future  of  the  children  was  most 
beneficent.  Here  was  an  occupation  suited  ex 
actly  to  Mary  von  Olnhausen's  temperament.  Her 
vigor  and  activity  found  full  scope  in  the  care 
of  the  many  buildings  and  the  oversight  of  their 
varied  and  ever-changing  inmates;  her  unfailing 
cheerfulness  and  her  downrightness  of  speech 
were  excellent  tonics  for  the  unfortunate  women 
with  whom  she  had  to  deal;  best  of  all,  her 
unbounded  sympathy  and  faith  in  human  nature 
surrounded  those  unhappy  beings  with  an  atmos 
phere  essential  to  the  process  of  their  regeneration. 


334    Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

Living  wholly  with  and  for  her  charges,  she  had 
at  once  to  be  housekeeper,  head  nurse,  confidante, 
steward,  adviser.  One  hour  she  must  devise  means 
of  keeping  secluded  some  erring  member  of  society, 
the  next  she  must  teach  the  cooks  how  to  prepare 
some  wholesome  dish  for  the  sick,  the  next  she 
must  advise  with  the  trustees  in  regard  to  the  plac 
ing  of  a  new  lot  of  children.  This  woman  must  be 
reasoned  with,  that  scolded,  the  third  taught  to  sew. 
Learning,  one  day,  that  a  murderously  drunken 
husband  is  pounding  at  the  door,  she  drops  his 
frantic  wife  and  children,  who  had  sought  refuge 
with  her,  out  of  a  window,  pilots  them  through 
the  woods,  herself  drives  them  to  a  place  of  safety, 
and  returns  to  tell  bold  lies  to  the  man  thus  cir 
cumvented.  Another  day  she  must  plan  a  cam 
paign  for  the  capture  of  a  madman  escaped  from 
an  asylum  and  roaming  over  her  grounds  threaten 
ing  death  to  every  one.  These  but  faintly  indicate 
the  kind  of  problems  that  were  always  meeting 
her.  Night  and  day  she  must  be  everywhere, 
must  think  of  everything,  must  be  the  motive 
force  and  the  guiding  hand  in  this  large  and 
difficult  establishment. 

This  excellent  haven  of  refuge,  however,  had 
been  built  up  almost  solely  by  the  exertions  of  a 
splendid,  indomitable  woman  possessed  of  large 
means  and  of  marked  executive  ability.  She  was 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     335 

aggressive  and  positive ;  Mrs.  von  Olnhausen,  also 
and  equally,  was  positive,  aggressive,  and  out 
spoken.  Both  loved  the  work,  and  each  was  con 
fident  that  hers  was  the  only  way  in  which  it 
should  be  carried  on.  It  was  impossible,  therefore, 
that  sooner  or  later  there  should  not  be  wide  and 
irreconcilable  differences  of  opinion  between  this 
organizer  of  the  charity  and  the  woman  whom  she 
had  placed  in  charge  of  it.  After  several  years 
of  happy  and  useful  work,  the  time  came  when 
the  position  held  by  Mrs.  von  Olnhausen  was  no 
longer  tenable;  and,  with  a  sorrowful  heart,  she 
gave  it  up.  Then,  rather  than  be  dependent,  she 
accepted  the  position  of  housekeeper  with  a  family 
not  far  from  Boston. 

Meanwhile  the  Centennial  Exposition,  at  Phila 
delphia,  had  aroused  us  Americans  to  an  appre 
ciation  of  artistic  decoration;  and  many  women 
had  become  fired  with  a  desire  to  substitute  for 
the  "  tidies  "  and  "  antimacassars  "  of  an  earlier 
generation  really  beautiful  and  artistic  pieces  of 
embroidery.  Although  it  was  many  years  since 
she  had  been  a  designer  of  fabrics  at  Manchester, 
Mary  von  Olnhausen  had  not  lost  her  facility  of 
hand  or  of  invention.  Always  skilful  with  her 
needle,  her  residence  among  German  women  had 
taught  her  many  new  secrets  of  the  embroiderer's 
art;  and  her  love  and  deep  knowledge  of  nature 


336     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

made  it  possible  for  her  to  use  flowers,  leaves,  and 
vines,  in  designing,  with  an  artistic  freedom  that 
was  a  revelation  to  those  whose  ideas  had  been 
bounded  by  the  conventional  abominations  of  the 
"  stamped  "  pattern.  Establishing  herself,  then, 
as  a  designer  and  maker  of  embroideries,  she 
soon  found  that  this  was  indeed  her  vocation,  and 
that  thus  she  might  realize  her  wish  to  gain  a 
livelihood  without  losing  the  independence  essen 
tial  to  her  happiness. 

For  more  than  twenty  years  Mrs.  von  Olnhausen 
continued  to  follow  this  congenial  work  of  produc 
ing  beautiful  designs  and  exquisite  embroideries 
and  of  teaching  others  how  to  make  them.  Her 
imagination  seemed  never  to  fail  her,  her  fingers 
lost  none  of  their  cunning,  and,  most  extraordinary 
of  all,  her  eyes  served  her  faithfully,  under  the 
tremendous  strain  placed  upon  them,  up  to  the  very 
end.  All  day,  and  far  into  the  night  sometimes, 
she  would  sit  over  her  designing,  her  swift  fingers 
fashioning  beautiful  curves  and  flower  and  leaf 
forms,  without  any  aid  from  instruments,  and  yet 
the  complicated  lines  resolving  themselves  at  last 
into  a  well  thought  out  design  of  that  freely  con 
ventional  order  which  is  of  the  highest  degree  of 
decorative  art.  Or  one  would  find  her  sitting  with 
a  book  propped  before  her,  reading  attentively, 
while  her  fingers  wove  intricate  stitches  of  em- 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     337 

broidery.  Always  busy,  she  nevertheless  read  an 
astonishing  number  of  books — in  English,  French, 
and  German  —  and  reached  an  opinion  concerning 
them  that  was  of  definite  value.  More  than  this, 
she  found  time  to  go  frequently  to  the  theatre 
and  to  hear  much  good  music,  —  her  many  friends 
being  only  too  glad  to  invite  so  vivacious  and 
appreciative  a  companion.  Her  room  was  always 
open  to,  and  was  generally  crowded  with  those 
hosts  of  friends;  and  her  greatest  delight  was 
to  prepare  for  them  with  her  own  hands  a  little 
"  feast,"  cooked  as  only  she  could  cook.  However 
few  the  dishes  and  however  primitive  the  table 
furnishings,  these  "  picnics  "  were  made  veritable 
banquets  by  her  wit  and  gayety. 

Living  at  the  "Pavilion,"  opposite  King's  Chapel, 
until  that  house  was  pulled  down,  she  had  rooms 
subsequently  in  various  places  in  Boston,  until,  on 
the  conversion  of  the  Winslow  Skating  Rink  into 
the  Grundmann  Studios,  she  established  herself 
there,  and  there  remained,  when  in  town,  almost 
to  the  end.  Her  residence  in  Boston  was  not, 
however,  continuous.  It  was  broken  by  visits  of 
longer  or  shorter  duration  to  the  houses  of  her 
sisters;  and  several  summers  were  spent  in  Anni- 
squam,  that  quaint  village  of  Cape  Ann,  where 
she  took  a  building  in  which  sail-boats  had  for 
merly  been  constructed,  and,  with  a  few  boards 


338     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

and  bright  chintzes,  converted  it  into  a  charming 
cottage.  Its  loft  was  divided  into  several  rooms, 
and  from  the  sitting-room  one  stepped  out  upon 
a  balcony  actually  overhanging  the  waters  of  the 
bay;  its  first  floor  was  made  into  a  huge  kitchen- 
dining-room,  with  wide  double  doors  framing  the 
panorama  of  the  'Squam  River,  and  with  the  sea, 
at  high  tide,  splashing  and  murmuring  under  its 
very  floor. 

One  winter  was  spent  with  a  cousin  in  Warner, 
New  Hampshire;  a  part  of  another  was  passed 
at  Shackelford  Island,  —  that  long  sand-bar  off 
Morehead  City  where  Mrs.  von  Olnhausen  had 
enjoyed  so  many  pleasant  hours  during  the  Civil 
War;  and  once  more,  after  a  visit  to  the  Colum 
bian  Exposition  and  to  relatives  in  St.  Louis,  she 
went  to  take  care  of  that  brother  to  whom  twice 
before,  on  the  Illinois  prairie,  she  had  given  such 
efficient  help.  This  time,  however,  he  was  living 
on  the  plains  of  South  Dakota,  and  alone.  His 
children,  now  married,  were  more  or  less  widely 
scattered;  he  himself  was  obliged  to  be  much 
away;  the  lake  on  whose  shores  he  had  estab 
lished  himself  had,  as  is  so  often  the  case  in 
that  semi-arid  region,  vanished;  and  with  it  had 
gone  the  hundred  neighbors  whom  this  rare  sheet 
of  water  had  originally  attracted  thither.  Not  far 
off,  too,  was  a  reservation  for  Indians,  of  whom 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     339 

Mrs.  von  Olnhausen  seems  to  have  stood  in  a  fear 
most  unusual  with  her.  Many  a  long  day  and 
grewsome  evening,  therefore,  did  she  pass  sitting 
at  the  door  of  that  Dakota  house,  the  vast  prairie, 
broken  only  by  the  deserted  houses,  stretching 
limitlessly  before  her,  even  the  beloved  nature- 
sounds  transformed,  to  her  excited  imagination, 
into  Indian  footsteps,  —  watching  for  her  brother 
to  return.  The  easy  care  of  the  house  was  but  a 
meagre  outlet  for  such  energy  as  hers;  the  soli 
tude  of  the  prairie  was  a  contrast  too  sharp  for 
one  who  had  lived  so  long  in  a  city  and  amid  a 
crowd  of  friends.  From  this  last  Western  visit 
she  came  back  what,  in  spite  of  her  seventy-five 
years,  she  had  not  before  been,  —  an  aged  woman. 
Her  activities,  her  innocent  pleasure-seeking,  her 
work  for  others  did  not  cease ;  but  the  marvellous 
buoyancy  of  what  had  seemed  eternal  youth  in  her 
was  gone. 

Mary  von  Olnhausen  was  so  modest,  she  was 
so  much  more  ready  to  hear  the  stories  of  others 
than  to  tell  her  own,  that  few  realized  what  a 
heroine  of  romance  this  little  teacher  of  embroid 
ery  had  been.  The  much-heralded  coming  of 
Prince  Henry  of  Prussia  to  this  country  hap 
pened,  however,  to  call  the  attention  of  the  news 
papers  to  her  whom  they  named  "  The  Little 
Madam  of  the  Iron  Cross,"  and  she  was  there- 


340     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

after  much  exploited.  From  Maine  to  California 
the  story  of  her  life  was  carried;  she  became  the 
fashion;  her  room  was  crowded  by  persons  with 
and  without  introductions;  orders  for  embroid 
eries  poured  in  upon  her,  and  she  existed  during 
the  last  months  of  her  lifetime  in  a  whirl  of  ex 
citement  that  could  not  but  prove  too  trying  for 
a  woman  of  her  years. 

On  the  day  of  the  Prince's  coming,  the  Ger 
man  women  who  were  received  by  him  insisted 
that  she  should  accompany  them.  Entering  the 
room  where  the  ladies  were  awaiting  him,  the 
Kaiser's  brother  immediately  noticed  the  Iron 
Cross  which  she  wore,  and,  ignoring  formality, 
grasped  her  hand  and  spoke  to  her  in  German. 
Finding  that  she  failed  to  understand  him,  he 
then  addressed  her  in  English,  inquired  about  her 
services,  and  promised  that  a  duplicate  of  the  lost 
"  Cross  of  Merit "  should  be  sent  to  her.  The 
newspapers  made  much  of  this  recognition  of  her; 
but  her  own  simple  account  given  in  a  letter  to  a 
friend  in  North  Carolina,  who  had  sent  her  some 
galax  leaves,  is  the  best :  — 

BOSTON,  March  10,  1902. 

The  leaves  are  most  beautiful.  I  have  never 
seen  any  handsomer.  They  came  the  day  I  went 
to  see  the  Prince,  but  I  did  not  take  him  any,  and 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     341 

have  regretted  since  that  I  did  not;  but  it  was  so 
formidable,  and  I  am  such  a  fool,  I  only  wanted  it 
over.  He  was  most  gracious,  and  not  at  all  for 
midable;  shook  my  hand  twice,  just  as  any  other 
feller  would.  I  am  glad  I  had  the  courage  now 
to  go,  especially  on  account  of  the  younger  nieces 
and  nephews,  who  were  so  anxious  for  me  to  do 
so.  They  have  been  making  a  great  fuss  in  the 
papers ;  of  course  it 's  all  exaggerated.  Really, 
the  whole  thing  was  what  any  one  would  have 
done  much  better  than  I  did,  only  I  had  the 
luck.  How  splendidly  you  would  have  carried 
out  the  meeting  and  handshaking!  I  forgot  to 
bow  low  or  to  address  him  with  any  title;  so 
stupid ! 

It  has  been  a  hard  winter  for  me,  in  the  hos 
pital  and  at  home,  and  I  am  away  behind  in  my 
finances;  but  if  the  orders  come  as  thick  as  they 
have  this  last  week,  I  shall  soon  be  independent. 
Nothing  like  being  the  fad  for  a  while.  I  've 
waited  forty  years,  and  now,  when  I  'm  so  old, 
it  comes  all  at  once.  It  has  been  a  bad  winter 
here,  they  say.  So  far  I  Ve  not  been  out,  except 
to  ride;  but  I  have  some  engagements  for  this 
week,  so  shall  have  to  trot  around,  besides  work 
ing  night  and  day,  for  a  while.  How  I  long  for 
the  spring  and  the  birds  and  frogs!  You  have 
had  them  long  ago,  I  suppose. 


342     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

This  is  one  of  the  last  letters  that  she  wrote. 
Going  soon  afterwards  to  Lexington  for  a  visit, 
she  was  seized  with  apoplexy,  and,  without  suffer 
ing  or  return  of  consciousness,  passed  away  on  the 
twelfth  day  of  April,  1902.  Two  days  later  she 
was  taken  to  Mount  Auburn  Chapel;  a  flag  was 
pinned  upon  her  breast  by  the  Army  Nurses'  As 
sociation;  a  larger  flag  was  twined  among  the 
beautiful  flowers  upon  her  coffin;  fitting  words 
of  memorial  were  spoken  by  the  Rev.  Carlton  A. 
Staples,  minister  of  the  First  Church  in  Lexing 
ton,  —  the  church  where,  as  a  girl,  she  had  come 
every  Sunday  with  her  family;  and  she  was  put 
to  rest  beside  the  dear  husband  from  whom  she 
had  been  parted  so  many  years  before. 

The  life  of  which  these  letters  give  but  inade 
quate  glimpses  was  interesting  above  all  because 
it  was  so  intensely  human.  Its  virtues  were 
common  virtues,  its  shortcomings  were  common 
faults;  but  both  were  intensified  by  the  extraor 
dinary  vigor,  by  the  unique  personality  of  Mary 
von  Olnhausen.  Her  very  presence  breathed  an 
abounding  vitality;  and  it  was  that,  doubtless, 
almost  as  much  as  her  skill  in  nursing,  which  re 
vived  and  stimulated  into  health  again  her  many 
patients.  She  gloried  in  making  men  live  whose 
hurts  had  been  pronounced  incurable.  Between 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     343 

her,  the  healer,  and  them,  the  suffering,  there 
was,  for  the  time,  a  human  bond  as  close  as  be 
tween  members  of  one  family.  For  that  reason 
she  could  seldom  perceive  the  faults  or  unworthi- 
ness  of  any  man  who  had  been  a  patient  in  her 
hands.  But,  as  she  liked  with  intensity,  so  she 
hated  intensely;  and  there  was  often  as  much  of 
unreason  in  the  one  attitude  as  in  the  other. 

It  is  probable,  therefore,  that  some  of  the  dan 
gers  and  discomforts  which  she  experienced  were 
due  not  wholly  to  others,  but,  in  a  measure,  to 
herself.  For  she  could  not  wheedle,  she  would 
not  placate,  and  she  often  placed  dependence  upon 
the  untrue,  while  distrusting  the  true  friend.  Her 
nature  was  so  open,  however,  that  it  is  easy  to 
correct,  as  men  of  science  do,  for  the  personal 
equation  in  her  letters,  and  to  see,  as  she  saw, 
the  seamy  side  of  battles,  to  learn,  as  she  learned, 
how  quickly  and  surely  war  brings  to  the  front 
all  the  evil,  hideous,  barbarous  passions  of  man 
kind.  Many  of  her  experiences,  however,  were 
too  revolting  to  be  placed  upon  a  printed  page, 
many  of  her  discomforts  were  too  intimately  as 
sociated  with  individuals  for  it  to  be  wise  to  pub 
lish  them.  Nevertheless,  these  suppressions,  the 
still  greater  pruning  of  the  letters  through  the 
omission  of  personal  references  and  of  pages  in 
teresting  only  to  her  friends,  have  not  been  suf- 


344     Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse 

ficient  to  hide  the  rare  character  of  Mary  von 
Olnhausen,  to  spoil  the  value  of  the  varied  pic 
tures  which  she  draws.  Of  an  extraordinary  phy 
sique,  she  was  not  only  ready,  she  was  anxious, 
to  expend  that  vigorous  health  in  service  of  the 
most  exacting  kind.  Loving  intensely  and  hating 
fiercely,  she  scorned  to  make  selfish  use  of  the  love 
of  others,  refused  ever  to  feed  hate  with  innuendo. 
Generous  to  a  fault,  she  would  give  her  last  cent 
to  relieve  suffering,  would  share  her  remaining 
crust  with  any  one  asking  hospitality.  Different 
from  other  women,  but  never  conspicuous;  Bohe 
mian,  but  careful  of  the  prejudices  of  others;  in 
dependent,  but  not  in  tlie  least  self-assertive;  free 
of  language,  but  hating  everything  coarse;  exag 
gerated  in  statement,  but  always  scrupulous  as  to 
the  underlying  truth;  bold  of  speech,  but  tender 
of  heart;  often  deceived  by  human  beings,  but 
never  losing  her  sublime  trust  in  human  nature; 
of  no  particular  creed,  but  with  abiding  faith  in 
God,  —  she  exhibited  in  her  eighty- fourth  year, 
as  in  youth  and  in  middle  age,  the  beautiful  and 
endearing  qualities  of  childhood,  she  showed  the 
trust,  the  purity,  the  glad  exuberance  of  a  little 
girl. 

Her  life,  in  a  way,  anticipated  the  development 
of  the  nineteenth  century.  Not  till  the  close  of 
that  hundred  years  did  men  learn  really  to  love 


Adventures  of  an  Army  Nurse     345 

and  to  understand  nature;  she  possessed  that  love 
and  knowledge  as  a  girl.  Not  till  well  after  the 
middle  of  that  century  did  women  free  themselves 
from  the  thrall  of  Biblical  and  Puritan  tradition; 
she,  as  a  young  woman,  quietly  and  modestly  de 
fied  conventions,  and  lived,  worked,  and  thought 
freely,  as  do  men.  The  chief  triumph  of  the  nine 
teenth  century  has  been  in  its  understanding  of 
true  philanthropy,  in  its  putting  into  actual  prac 
tice,  on  a  large  and  general  scale,  the  Golden  Rule. 
Mary  von  Olnhausen  early  found  her  happiness  in 
living,  in  suffering,  in  encountering  hardships  for 
the  sake  of  others.  She  was  too  human  to  be  a 
saint,  of  too  intense  a  vitality  to  be  thoroughly 
well  balanced;  but  she  was  what  the  world  most 
needs, — an  unflagging,  unselfish,  optimistic  moral 
force. 


APPENDIX    A 


WHEN  this  volume  was  in  press  certain  docu 
ments  came  to  light  which  show  Baron  von 
Olnhausen  to  have  been  a  schoolboy  in  Oehr- 
ingen,  Wiirttemberg,  in  1823-24,  a  pupil  at  the  Royal 
Bavarian  School  at  Augsburg  in  1825  and  1826,  a  can 
didate  in  Philosophy  at  the  University  of  Munich  in  1827 
and  1828,   and  a   chemist   at  Prague    in   1833.      From 
other  sources  it  has  been  learned  that  in  1840  he  was 
studying  at  Edinburgh  University. 

Excerpts,  in  literal  translation,  from  some  of  the  docu 
ments  follow :  — 

Extract  from  the  opinions  relative  to  the  pupils  of  the  fourth 
Gymnasium  class,  school-year  i8-||. 

von  Ohlnhausen  Gustav^  pupil  of  the  fourth  Gymnasium 
class,  son  of  a  merchant,  born  at  Zwickau,  Kingdom  of  Sax 
ony,  age  1 6  years  7  months,1  is  recommended  by  his  bearing, 
modesty  and  mental  capacity,  which  are  further  enhanced  by 
the  gift  of  a  pleasant  speech  ;  and  whose  progress  in  religion 
is  good,  in  mathematics  excellent. 

1  [He  must  have  been  born,  therefore,  in  February,  1809.] 


348  Appendix  A 


General  Qualifying  Remarks. 
Capabilities  —  great. 
Industry  —  very  great,  in   mathematics   excellent,   almost 

untiring. 

Conduct —  excellent. 
Progress  —  very  good.     Twelfth  among  45  fellow  students. 

AUGSBURG,  September  7,  1825. 


In  the  Lyceum  class  of  the  Royal  Bavarian  Institution  of 
Learning  here,  Mr.  Gustav  von  Olnhausen,  from  Zwickau, 
in  the  Kingdom  of  Saxony,  has  deserved,  in  the  first  semester 
of  the  school  year  i8||,  in  the  studies  of  the  first  year  course 
of  philosophy  and  general  sciences,  being  endowed  with  many 
mental  gifts,  the  following  record :  — 

Subject  Industry  Progress 

Universal  History  Excellent  Excellent 

Latin  Literature                         "  Very  good 

Greek  Literature                       "  "        " 

Logic  Very  good  "       " 

Metaphysics                           "        "  Excellent 

Religion  Excellent 

Algebra  Untiring  " 

Trigonometry                            "  " 

His  mental  development  was  exemplary. 

This  is  attested  by  the  undersigned  authorities 

[Signatures.] 
AUGSBURG,  August  20,  1826. 


{Certificate}  That  the  Candidate  in  Philosophy,  Mr.  Gustav 
von  Olnhausen,  from  Oehringen,  in  the  Kingdom  of  Wurttem- 
berg,  has  been  at  the  University  here  for  purposes  of  study 


Appendix  A  349 

from  November  18,  1826,  up  to  date,  during  this  time  has  ob 
served  a  faultless  conduct  in  conformity  with  the  requirements, 
and  has  not  committed  any  wrong  with  regard  to  proscribed 
societies.  This  is  attested,  at  his  desire,  at  his  departure  from 
this  University. 

MUNICH,  August  14,  1828. 

Royal  University  Rector 

Dr.  J.  DOELLINGER. 


Passport 

Mr.  Gustav  Adolph  von  Olnhausen,  who  at  present  is  in 
Prague,  as  chemist,  born  here  in  1809,  and  against  whose  stay 
in  Prague  there  is  no  objection  here,  since,  more  particularly, 
there  is  no  claim  for  military  service,  —  such  facts  are  hereby 
certified  for  his  assistance. 

Zwickau  in  the  Kingdom  of  Saxony 
City  Council 

FRIEDRICH  WILHELM  MEYER. 
iSth  December,  1833. 


APPENDIX    B 


IN  the  recently  published  "  Life  and  Correspondence 
of  Henry  Ingersoll  Bowditch  "  [by  his  son,  Vincent 
Y.  Bowditch,  Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Co.,  1902]  ap 
pears  the  following  letter  [vol.  ii.  p.  315]  :  — 

TO    MRS.    GEORGE    L.   STEARNS. 

May  9,  1887. 

DEAR  MRS.  STEARNS,  —  I  forgot  to  leave  with  you  the 
riddle  l  found  in  a  book  of  autographs  made  chiefly  between 
the  years  1610  and  1630.  The  riddle  has  the  date  of  1742, 
and  is  signed  by  one  Fulda,  at  that  time  the  possessor  of  the 
precious  heirlooms  of  the  family  Von  Olnhausen ;  and  which 
had  been  carefully  kept  and  transmitted  to  sons  of  that  name 
for  one  hundred  and  thirty-two  years.  The  Von  Olnhausens 
dated  their  origin  from  a  gallant  Crusader,  Heinrich  Oln 
hausen,  who  in  1388  had  been  made  "Knight  of  the  Golden 
Spur"  at  Jerusalem. 

The  autographs  collected  by  one  of  his  descendants  (an  ear 
nest  student,  between  1610  and  1630)  of  all  the  great  person 
ages  (nobility  with  their  illuminated  coats  of  arms,  professors 

1  A  M  O  R  E  S. 
6.   Sex  fuge, 
5.    Quinque  tene, 
4.   Quatuor  fac, 
Reliqua  (RES)  tibi  sequcntur. 


Appendix  B  351 

of  many  universities,  pastors  of  churches,  great  physicians, 
and  lettered  young  companions)  were  in  two  volumes,  and  by 
marriage  had  come  into  Fulda's  hands.  He,  with  a  true  in 
stinct,  felt  that  they  ought  to  be  in  the  hands  of  his  young 
relative,  the  male  descendant  of  the  Von  Olnhausens.  There 
fore  in  1742  he  transferred  them  to  John  Frederick  Olnhausen, 
telling  him  that  he  hoped  that  these  precious  relics  of  the  good 
youth  of  1610  would  stimulate  his  loving  descendants  to  behave 
as  heroically  as  his  predecessors  had  done,  and  he  gave  the 
enclosed  riddle,  which  as  I  have  before  stated  I  forgot  to 
leave. 

To  finish  my  story,  I  ought  to  tell  you  how  they  came  into 
my  possession.  Some  few  years  before  the  war  of  the  rebel 
lion,  a  tall,  middle-aged  German  came  into  my  study,  evidently 
very  ill,  I  saw  at  a  glance.  There  was  intellect  and  great 
suffering  seen  in  his  face,  but  there  was  a  serenity  of  manner 
and  quietness  of  speech  which  charmed  me.  I  soon  found 
that  he  was  hopelessly  ill;  his  wife,  an  American  woman, 
flitted  around  him,  watching  tenderly  every  word  that  fell  from 
him.  It  was  evident  that  they  were  poor.  I  advised  him  to 
enter  a  hospital,  and  I  visited  him  as  a  friend  several  times 
before  he  died.  I  found  that  he  was  a  patriot  obliged  to  leave 
Germany,  and  had  sought  this  country,  devoted  as  he  thought 
to  freedom,  and  shocked  he  had  been  to  find  how  rampant 
slavery  was  here.  Just  before  death  he  willed  to  me  his 
Schiller  cup,  from  which  he  had  drunk  Rhenish  wine  from 
the  time  of  student  life  on  the  anniversary  of  the  poet's  birth. 
He  had  brought  the  autograph  books  here,  he  being  the  last 
male  descendant  of  his  race.  His  wife  soon  after  his  death 
left  the  books  with  me  for  safe-keeping,  when  she  entered  as 
a  nurse  the  Northern  hospital.  After  serving  till  the  end  of 
the  war,  she  went  to  Germany  and  offered  herself,  and  was 
accepted,  as  a  nurse  in  the  Franco-Prussian  war.  By  a 
strange  coincidence,  among  her  first  patients  was  one  named 
Olnhausen.  He  was  of  the  family  of  her  husband.  She  sub- 


352  Appendix   B 

sequently  lived  there  some  weeks  [years],  and  then  returned 
to  America. 

Excuse  me  for  this  lengthy  story.     When  I  fall  upon  the 
history  of  a  really  excellent  German  patient  or  friend  I  find 
much  to  interest  me,  and  my  pen  flows  on  freely. 
I  remain  very  sincerely  yours, 

HENRY  I.  BOWDITCH. 


INDEX 


ABBOTT,  GEN.,  197 
Alexandria,   32-104,    107,    m- 

114,  156,  184,  194 
Andersonville,  204 
Andrew,  Gov.,  51,  215,  220 
Annisquam,  337 
Army  Nurses  Association,  342 
Army-worm,  25 
Augsburg,  347 
Autobiography,    21-35,   4*»  47~ 

50,  102-107 

BALTIMORE,  Md.,  157 

Barnes,  Dr.,  113,  163,  197 

Bartlett,  Catherine,  3,  7 

Bartlett,  Dr.  J.,  3 

Barton,  Clara,  320 

Beaufort,  135,  137,  154-156,  I73~ 

176,  182-195,  203 
Bellangee,  Dr.,  90,  97,  99,  103- 

105,   115,    118-130,   135,   144, 

148-153,  213,  247 
Bellows,  Rev.  H.  W.,  220,  224 
Berlin,  220,  223,  244,   247,  256, 

280,  310,  316 

Bickerdyke,  Mrs.,  188,  193 
Blois,  257,  265,  273 
Booth,  J.  W.,  194 
Bowditch,  Dr.  H.  I.,  216,  350 
Bull  Run,  29,  43,  46 
Butler,  Gen.,  125,  162,  165 

CEDAR  MT.,  32,  35 
Chancel lorsville,  93 


Clark,  Col.,  158 
Commune,  The,  256 
Copperheads,  80,  93,  no 
Corbeil,  240,  274 
Cross  of  Merit,  321,  340 
Culpeper,  35,  54 

DALE,  SURG.  GEN.,  216,  220 
Dix,  Miss  D.  L.,  30-36,  49,  58, 

64,84,  103,  107,  111-113,  121, 

124,  186,  188,  213 
Dover,  N.  H.,  10 
Dresden,  247,  284,  286,  288,  301, 

305,  312,  320 


,  221,  226,  234-244,  275 


FAIRFAX  STATION,  83 

Fleury,  Pension,  234 

Fort  Fisher,  164,  166,  176,  198, 

207 
Franco-Prussian  War,   12,  219- 

280 

Frank,  Dr.,  236 
Fredericksburg,  56 
Fulda,  279 

GEORGE,  MRS.,  214 

Gleist,  Count,  227 

Golden   Wedding,  The   Saxon, 

312-316 
Goldsboro,  196 
Grundmann  Studios,  331,  337 


*3 


354 


Index 


HAND,  DR.,  153,  174,  214 

Hatteras,  Cape,  117 

Henry  of  Prussia,   Prince,  321, 

339-341 

Higginson,  H.  L.,  79 
Hooker,  Gen.,  94 
Hopkins,  Rev.  H.,45,  53,  95, 113 
Hradschin,  296 
Hudson,  Miss,  47 
Hughes,  Thos.,  222 

ILLINOIS,  20-30, 76, 122, 146, 217 
Iron  Cross,  320,  339 
Italian  Journey,  317-320 

JACK  (THE  RUSSIAN),  191-195, 

201 

Johannitern,  245-251 
Jourdan,  Col.,  132 
Juvisy,  240-244,  263,  269,  275 

LAGNY,  221,  227-235,  237 
Larcom,  Lucy,  9 
Lee,  Mr.,  264,  272 
Lee's  Surrender,  156,  184 
Lexington,  1-8,  14,  35,  46-50,  55, 

60,  65,  74,  80,  91,  102,  106,  127, 

155,  163,  213,  281,  342 
Lincoln,  President,  32,  156,  189 
Livermore,  Mary  A.,  188 

MACON,  FORT,  130, 134 
Manchester,  10-19,  197,  335 
Mansfield  Hospital,  118-182 
Mansion   House    Hospital,  32- 

105,  111-113 

Mass.  Gen.  Hospital,  19,  331 
Meaux,  221,  226-228,  234,  239, 

241 

Meigs,  Gen.,  186 
Metz,  221,  236,  238,  277 


Meung,  222,  245,  251,  272 

Monadnock,  162 

Morehead    City,   102-106,    115, 

118-182 

Mt.  Vernon,  67,  93 
Munich,  277,  347 

NANCY,  221,  226,  276 

Neumark,  306-312 

New  Berne,  104,   in,   115-118, 

132,    136,    141,    147-154,    159, 

173-180,  207 

Newport  Barracks,  132,  136,  138 
Nightingale,  Miss,  222 
Nine  Months'  Men,  85-87 
Nuremberg,  278 

ORLEANS,  221,  238-244,  257-262, 
266-271 

PAGE,  DR.,  68,  70,  77,  84,  94-96, 

101,  111-114 
Palmer,  Dr.,  154,  158,  161-190, 

19S>  I97>  199-202,  206-216 
Palmer,  Gen.  I.  N.,  215 
Paris,  230,  246,  249,  251,  255,  275 
Parker,  Theo.,  i,  12,  18 
Pension,  331 
Phinney,  Elias,  1-9 
Phinney,  Geo.,  20,  24-27,  217,338 
Polterabend,  321 
Poor  Whites,  28,  122,  127,  142- 

146,  219 

Post  Camp,  51-54 
Prague,  281,  293-297,  305,  347 
Prairie  Life,  21-30,  217 

REFUGEES,  141,  151,  162,  171 
Reims,  221,  223,  226,  237 
Richmond,  204 


Index 


355 


Roanoke,  159 
Rogers,  Thos.,  2 
Rome,  319 

ST.  CALAIS,  273 
Salter,  Dr.,  182 
Sanitary  Commission,  38,  94,  98, 

101,  106,  161,  175 
Sarazen,  M.,  246,  249,  252,  258 
Schoenfels,  11,306-308 
Schwerke,  Dr.,  254 
Second    Massachusetts,    79-81, 

119,  132,  137,  191,  206 
Shackelford    Island,    122,    144, 

!73>  338 

Sherman's  Army,  179-181,  202 
Smithville,    156,    176,    193,    195, 

198-212 

South  Dakota,  338 
Spain,  War  with,  51,  302 
Staples,  Rev.  C.  A.,  342 
Staten  Island,  333 
Sterne,  293 

THARANT,  247,  281-293,   296- 
305,  312-329 


Thierry,  221,  224,  226 
Tours,  222,  264,  271 

VENDOME,    222,   237,   246-260, 

264,  272-276,  317 
Versailles,  221,  229,  232 
Von  Olnhausen,  Gustav,  11-20, 

61, 189,  219,  277,  283,  302,  306- 

312,  342,  347-352 
Von  Roemer  Castle,  309-311 
Von  Roemer,  Frau,  1 2,  247,  280- 

284,  287,  297,  302,  310 
Von  Rohrscheidt,  Frau,  12,  247, 

283,  287,  292,  297-305,  314,  327 

WARRENTON,  91 
Washington,  D.  C.,  35-37,  52>  6o> 
77,80,  84,  90,  98,  i or,  107,  113 
Weimar,  Prince,  232,  234 
William,  Emperor,  314,  320,  326 
Wilmington,  N.  C.,  152,  162 

YELLOW  FEVER,  126,  147-155 

ZWICKAU,  n,  234,  281,  306-312, 
347-349 


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